Pretty Woman
by Carrie'sFisher
Summary: DragonQueen AU. Reposted from my old account "EvilCharmer1547" from 2015. Currently working on the sequel.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I was a little inspired by the famous Julia Roberts and Richard Gere movie, "Pretty Woman" to write this. It has a totally different plot line, just the same name and is very very AU and OOC for OUAT. There's no fairytale land and it takes place in Hollywood, just has the OUAT characters. I own absolutely nothing, I just hope you enjoy...Please review after and I'll know if I should continue or not. Let me know…**

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Chap 1

It was about eight o'clock in the morning in late July. The city had been crazy the past few weeks due to the tourists and family members visiting their relatives for Independence Day in the United States. Such a great holiday for vacation. No one was in school yet, the weather was gorgeous, and the business in the entertainment world was at its peak. Films were beginning to shoot and the television stars had their Summer break for a few months before starting their next season of their series. Everything seemed so fine and dandy, well at least for the ones whose dreams came true.

Maleficent slowly opened her eyes, looking around the hotel suite, forgetting where she was for a moment. She squinted her eyes and rubbed them before sitting up in the Posturpedic bed with feather pillows. She hummed, waking her voice up before she called out to the man who had brought her here in the first place. After clearing her throat she finally called out to him, "Mr. Gold?" She waited for the answer, annoyed that he had refused to give her his first name. Although, she sort of respected it as well. Being a prostitute, she never really had time for getting to know someone anyways, but seeing as he was her first customer to ever pay her to stay the night, she thought it would've been a bit essential.

Finally, after a few moments of silence, the wealthy man opened the door of the bathroom and walked out, still drying his hands on a small hotel towel. He gave her a genuine smile and she returned one to him as she clung the bed sheets to her bare body.

"I'll leave the money for you on the counter when I leave for work. There is some breakfast for you on the table. I took the liberty in ordering everything on the menu. I wasn't sure what you would like."

She smiled after peaking her head passed the doorway to the suite dining room and seeing the table full of platters. She definitely now knew that this was so worth three hundred dollars. "Do you have to leave so soon?" She wondered, actually wanting some company for breakfast.

"Yes. There's no such thing as too soon in the business world." He put the small towel down in a chair by the bathroom before slowly walking over to sit on her side of the bed. "How about this...I have a business dinner tonight, why don't you stay and hang out here for the day and I'll pick you up tonight and you can join me? I'll pay you double what I'm going to pay for last night." He saw that she was thinking about it and he turned to look at the risque dress he picked her up in the night before. "And I'll give you extra money to go out and buy an elegant dress for supper."

She tried her hardest not to show how much that enlightened her, but her mouth curled into the largest grin she had ever produced and her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. "Where do you suggest I buy this new dress?"

"In Hollywood? Rodeo Drive." He smiled back. "Now, make sure you pick out a dress that won't," he paused, thinking of the best way to put this, "...make you stick out too much."

She laughed smugly and moved her head in to be centimeters from his face. "That's gonna cost you extra." She winked and he stood up, remembering her number one rule of no kissing on the lips.

"Well, Dearie. Here's the money for your dress. I'll pay you the rest after tonight." He grabbed his walking stick and headed for the door.

She waited until he was gone before staring at the money in her hands and hesitating before doing something she had always wanted to do. She suddenly threw the handful of cash in the air, letting it rain all over her and the bed as she screamed and yelled in extreme excitement.

After enjoying as much breakfast as she could fit in her often-not-fed-stomach, she put on the only clothes she had with her. A small crop top that showed her stomach, too tight to a rich person's liking and a pencil tight skirt that was so short her hands fell way past an acceptable dress code. She wore black knee-high stiletto boots that were beginning to fall apart and she put her long, straight, black wig on and looked in the mirror, annoyed at wearing it, but she decided it made her look less of a hooker...sort of and she headed for the lobby.

* * *

"Oh, Regina. Would you please show a little appreciation?"

The twenty year old annoyed girl with black hair as dark as night rolled her eyes at her mother and sighed as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway leading into the lobby of the hotel. "What is it I'm supposed to be appreciating?"

"The fact that your father and I went through these lengths to find the perfect husband for you." Cora justified her actions a bit.

"Mother, this isn't the eighteenth century. Arranged marriages have been out of style for thousands of years."

"Now, listen to me." The frustrated mother grabbed her daughter's wrist and whispered, hoping none of the other rich people would hear them. "Your behavior has been appalling and you're lucky enough to have a father who defends your every move, but if you don't shape up, I may have to be forced to something drastic. Now fix your posture, your father is coming." Cora Mills let go of her youngest daughter's wrist and fixed her own posture as she sent her dear husband a smile when he walked toward them from the reception desk. Regina just stared at her mother in disbelief as he reached them.

"Here's the room key. You two can get settled in and we can meet right here tonight before dinner." Henry smiled at his wife and only daughter.

"Oh, Dear? Do you have to leave now? You can't even come up to the room with us for ten minutes?" Cora wondered, a little sadly. He was always so busy it drove her mad, which drove her daughter to be so ungrateful to anything she did for her.

"I'm sorry, Cora hon. I can't. This is very important business propaganda." He kissed her on the cheek and then turned to Regina. "I'll see you tonight, my Darling." He smiled, causing her to weakly grin back as he gently hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodbye, Daddy. And good luck." She lovingly watched her father go, wishing she didn't have to stay alone with her mother. Today would be truly boring, horrific, and filled with many criticisms from her demanding mother.

She and Cora began to walk to the elevators when she noticed that several of the already stuck up people walked by them, looking even more snooty than ever just as they turned a corner. She could tell, growing up around people like this her whole life, that it was due to a certain person or thing that they had seen that wasn't high enough to fit their wealthy standards. As soon as they turned the corner, they saw the tall, skinny woman leaning against the wall by the elevators, most of her skin showing.

Regina didn't know what it was, but seeing the looks she gave right back to the others as they sneered at her walking by sort of lifted her spirits a bit. She looked at her up and down and she found herself staring.

"Something bothering you, Dear?" The strange, and obvious hooker, rudely asked the young girl as she noticed the gazing, rich, spoiled rotten "teenager."

"Keep walking, Regina." Cora stuck her nose in the air, grabbing her daughter and pulling her into an elevator before she could speak for herself. "You don't have to speak to HER." The snobby Mills wife pushed a button to the second to last floor and the elevator doors closed as Regina kept her eyes on that interesting, colorful woman.


	2. Chapter 2

Chap 2

It was silent on the ride in the elevator as Cora Mills stared at her cell phone, probably texting one of her rich, snobby friends. Regina stared at her reflection in the shiny, gold doors. She thought about the prostitute. Remembered the looks on each person's face as they walked by, judging her. She tried to imagine what it must've felt like for the poor woman, knowing that if they had been looking at her like that, she definitely would not have reacted the way the other woman did. She had given them the same judgable looks as they passed and Regina had even noticed a hint of a smirk on her plump red lips. But the young girl had seen sadness in the woman's eyes, only guessing that the woman had received those looks everyday of her life. Suddenly, Regina began to wonder what it would be like to live that way. No money, no sense of security, nobody in her life to tell her what she can and cannot do. A part of her wanted to have that life, away from her mother, but the other part of her hated herself for feeling so sad about her own life.

She had everything, didn't she? A steady allowance from her parents, a great college education, in which she had been excited to return to UCLA soon, she had a loving father, and a well...a mother of some sort, and she also had a man lined up willing to marry her. Why was she always so depressed? She knew that the lady in the lobby would probably love to have her life, yet her heart felt like it would burst whenever she thought about it.

Suddenly, her daydream was interrupted by the ding of the elevator as it reached their floor and she blinked, snapping out of her daze. She watched her reflection split in two as the golden doors opened to reveal a gorgeous hotel penthouse as if they were the gates to Heaven.

She let her mother step out of the elevator first and she pulled her suitcase on wheels behind her. Cora never even looked up from her cell phone to even admire the room before she opened her big mouth and said, "You really should have let the bell hop take your bag. That's all they're good for."

Regina rolled her eyes at her mother from behind her back and she continued to walk toward her room to the right as her mother sat down on the couch in the family room of the suite. "Because Mother, this is all I'M good for." Regina stared at her mom as if waiting for a certain reaction, but Cora didn't hear her as she put her phone up to her ear and called her housekeeper back home to make sure they were taking care of her precious geraniums in the garden. Regina still stared at her as she began to speak through the microphone on the device and she rolled her eyes once more before going into her room and shutting the door.

It took all her inner strength not to slam the door shut and throw her suitcase at the wall. She sat down on the bed for a moment and put her hands over her face, taking a deep breath in. Oh, how she wished she were her older sister right now. Zelena seemed to have everything under control in her life. The twenty eight year old had gone to Princeton, on the other side of the country and she got away from Cora as early as possible. If only Regina were brave enough to be alone. Her half sister was now happily engaged and starting a great job at a wonderful law firm. This reminded Regina of how much of a failure she was in this family and a part of her was angry with her sister for leaving her alone here.

She took her hands away from her face and stood up to walk into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and asked for more in her life. She wanted more. No, she needed more.

She decided she might take a short bubble bath to relax and get her mind off of everything. But she looked around her room and her bathroom, not seeing a hotel bathrobe anywhere.

"Mother?" She went out into the family room, seeing her mother looking through some papers. "Can I take the bathrobe from your bathroom? There isn't one in mine."

Still never looking up to her youngest daughter, Cora answered, "Why don't you just call down to the front desk and ask for another one, Dear?"

Regina put her hands on her hips, but Cora didn't see for she still stared at the coffee table in front of her. "I don't know the front desk's phone number."

"God. Can't you do anything?" The Mills wife put her hand to her forehead. "Then I guess you're just gonna have to go all the way back down to the lobby to ask for one, aren't you?" She finally looked at the twenty year old and she shook her head, annoyed.

At first Regina didn't know how to answer, but after a moment of seeing those disappointed eyes stare at her as if she were pathetic, she spoke. "Fine. Maybe the elevator will get stuck on the way down and I won't ever have to see you again!" With that, she was gone and Cora just stared at the spot where her daughter had just been standing.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the back wall of the elevator. Her left brow rose in frustration as the contraption jerked a bit before descending to the lobby of the hotel. She looked down at the floor and ran her right hand through her hair, moving it to her hip, her left hand doing the same. She took one more deep breath before the elevator came to a halt and the doors slowly opened.

She hesitantly stepped out and headed for one of the many front desks. "Excuse me? Excuse me?" She quietly approached a desk with a tall, slim woman with dark black hair and red streaks in it. "Hello." Regina said as she read the woman's name tag. "Ruby?" The girl nodded. "Can I get an extra bathrobe for my room please?" The hotel was busy and very hectic, seeing as it was one of the last weeks of summer vacation for some people and their younger children.

"I'm sorry. We're out." Ruby said while trying to organize papers behind the desk. "If you really need one, you're going to have to go to the hotel boutique. They have some there for fifty bucks." The poor girl was busy and seemed to be struggling with a broken computer.

"Where is it?" Regina leaned her hands against the counter, stepping away from an older man in the long line behind her. She'd noticed his lingering eyes, but tried to ignore it.

"Go passed the fountain down the hall and take a right. You'll see the pool on the left, go passed it and take another right, then you'll see a fake palm tree, passed that is the dining room and the boutique is at the end of the hall." Ruby seemed tired of her job and Regina walked away, a bit overwhelmed and confused by all the directions. She had wanted the girl her age to repeat what she just said, but she didn't want to hold up the extremely long line anymore, so she decided she'd try her best.

She began her journey and surprisingly found it with just one missed turn somewhere around the pool area. "Excuse me?" She shyly said to the clerk in the "boutique" that even she herself would not have called it. It was more like a full designer outlet with clothes that only the richest in the hotel would purchase.

"Yes?" The sweet woman with pixie cut black hair asked.

"Do you have any bathrobes here?" Regina asked.

"I'm pretty sure we do. Right this way." Mary Margaret stepped out from behind the desk and led Regina to the bathroom section of the clothes. "You can pick any color you'd like." She grinned widely.

"Thank you." Regina said, thinking about how crazy it was just to take a simple bubble bath. "Um. Does this store put items on an account? I left my credit card in my purse and I'm afraid I left my purse up in the penthouse."

"Yes, of course. That won't be a problem."

Regina smiled at the kind woman, relieved that someone could still be a bit human in this hotel, and not as snooty.

They returned to the cash register and charged it to the Henry Mills account.

"The penthouse, huh?"

Regina heard the deep voice behind her. She turned to see the woman from earlier walking passed her to put a gorgeous dark purple evening gown on the counter beside her. Regina found herself accidentally staring at the woman's showing skin again.

"Do you mind?" Maleficent asked, inches from the young girl.

"Oh, uh. Sorry." Regina moved aside and grabbed her powder blue bathrobe from the glass counter.

"Which floor you on?" The taller woman chewed her gum and let it loudly pop on her tongue as she did so, waiting for the wealthy young woman to answer her.

"Uh." Regina was shocked to be talking to her. "Thirty first."

"Really?" Maleficent smiled to herself. "I'm on the thirty second."

Regina's eyes widened, seeing the wads of cash the woman took out of her tiny, hot pink pocketbook. She was also surprised that the woman was in the penthouse on the top floor of the hotel. Mal slyly smirked down at the counter when she noticed that Regina was staring at the money. She knew what she was thinking and it sort of amused her.

"My uncle gave it to me." The one in the wig lied and Regina nodded, even though she knew it was not the truth.

Mary Margaret finally finished ringing up the dress and she took the proper amount of cash from Maleficent and gave her her change. "Would you like a bag?" Mary Margaret asked, feeling like the third party as Mal never took her eyes off the little girl beside her, forgetting about the woman behind the counter.

"What?" Maleficent asked as if the woman had said something to offend her.

"The dress…Would you like it in a bag? I can bring it in the back and put it in one for you." Mary Margaret answered, attempting to make herself sound more clear the second time.

"Oh." Mal finally looked back to Mary Margaret. "Yeah. Sure."

Mary Margaret nodded and took the dress by the hanger, gently carrying to the back. As soon as she disappeared, Mal turned back to the shorter woman beside her. "So. You must be a daddy's little girl." The older woman assumed as a stereotype towards all rich families.

"What?" Regina nervously squeezed the new bathrobe tighter.

"You can't be anymore than seventeen, eighteen, right?"

"Twenty." Regina corrected.

Maleficent raised both her eyebrows, almost impressed at the girl's sudden loss of timidity. She smirked and stared a little longer at the girl in a brief second of silence. She took in a deep breath before saying her next statement. "Hmmmm….You must be a mummy's girl." She smirked again and turned her body so it faced the counter, resting her hands on it in front of her.

"And why would you think that?"

Mal looked at her in the corner of her eye without even turning her head. "I saw you with her earlier. Obeyed every word she said." She looked forward again, waiting for another outburst as she smiled. "Probably always do."

"I do not." Regina protested.

Mal chuckled a bit. She turned to say something, but Mary Margaret had returned with the dress. She handed it to her and Maleficent thanked her before almost knocking Regina over as she walked passed her, bumping her shoulder.

"Hey." Regina called out, slowly turning around. She waited until the other woman turned her head before continuing. "I am my own person." Regina said, referring back to the "mummy's girl" and "daddy's girl" remarks. Although, it almost sounded as though she were trying to convince herself more than the free woman.

Maleficent smiled over her shoulder at her. "If you say so, Darling." With that, she was gone and Regina was left alone, thinking about how untrue that felt and how strange just wanting to take a bubble bath had to turned into.


	3. Chapter 3

Chap 3

"You look lovely." Mr. Gold said, stunned to see Maleficent so conservative and elegant. "Where did you get it?"

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "The hotel shop on the first floor."

"Hmm...What happened to Rodeo Drive?" Mr. Gold leaned against the door frame that stood between the family room and the dining room.

"There were a bunch of girls downstairs in the lobby. Said that they knew none of the stores on Rodeo Drive would even let me in. Bitches." She sounded angry, yet she was sad.

Mr. Gold looked down at the floor. "Well, it's their loss." He smiled at her and she grew a bit of her confidence back as he looked at her from head to toe. "I'm going to change and then we can head down to the hotel restaurant."

"What? I thought you had a business dinner?" Maleficent was confused and quite nervous about anything at the moment.

"I do. But my client insisted on eating somewhere that was convenient for the both of us. And coincidentally, he is also staying in this hotel." He smiled at Mal and went into the bedroom to change.

When he came out, he wore black on black with a dark purple tie that matched Maleficent's dress and the black suit matched her dark wig. Even though he was an older man and in the business world for most of his life, he was always quite lousy at tying a tie. He struggled to finish it and when he did, the thin layer of the fabric underneath the thick layer, was longer than it should be, showing that he did it wrong.

"Ugh. It always takes me a few times before I get it right." He untied it and started again.

"Here. Let me do that." Mal walked up to him and took the purple silk from his hands before tying it perfectly. "There." She smiled at him and straightened his jacket before buttoning it for him.

"Wow. Thanks. Where'd you learn to do that?" Gold was impressed.

"My pimp." She joked and he glared at her. "I'm just kidding." She smiled at his seriousness. "I used to help my grandfather get ready for church." She laughed a bit and he faked a weak smile before going to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror.

"Shall we?" He returned and offered his elbow out for her to take it and they headed to the elevator.

Upon arriving at the restaurant on the first floor, Maleficent almost tripped and she was grateful that she was holding his elbow so she could catch herself before falling.

"You alright, clumsy?" Mr. Gold chuckled a little.

"Yeah. It's these damn shoes."

He looked down and saw that she hadn't bought new shoes for the occasion and he frowned at the beat up stiletto boots that she wore. "Why didn't you get new ones?" He faked a smile and whispered through gritted teeth.

"You didn't tell me to buy a new pair of footwear. I bought a dress like you told me." She also whispered through a fake smile and he rolled his eyes at the smart ass comment.

"I'll get you some tomorrow." He said quietly just as they reached their table.

She looked at him in confusion. _What did he mean by that?_ She had to fake another smile and forget about his statement for now as they had to greet the man at the table.

"Hello. Mr. Gold?" The client put his hand out to shake the man's hand and nodded when Gold confirmed his identity.

"This is Maleficent." Mr. Gold gestured toward the woman who stuck tight by his side and her cheeks got pink.

"How do you do, sir?" She greeted nervously, hoping she was proper enough.

"I'm good and you?"

"Well." She answered awkwardly. Right after saying it, she furrowed her brow at herself. ' _Well?' Do people even say that?_

"Shall we sit?" The white haired man asked, ignoring the strange answer and gesturing toward the table.

"Yes, of course." Gold answered, and he pulled a chair out for Mal and she gently smiled at him, hoping she was doing okay so far.

After a moment of sitting, Maleficent stood and she grew confused as the two men stood as well. She looked at them as if asking why they stood too.

"Where are you going, Dearie?" Mr. Gold asked.

"I'm going to the women's lavatory." She answered, hating herself for saying that too.

She reached the bathroom and already felt that this night was not going well. She took a deep breath in the stall before getting out to wash her hands. She heard the stall door behind the sink open and she looked up into the mirror at the woman in the silver dress behind her. Starting from the bottom of her feet and finally reaching her head, Mal was shocked to realize that this wasn't a woman, but the young girl from the hotel store.

Maleficent finished drying her hands and Regina stopped walking when she herself noticed who else was in there with her.

"Oh, hello again." The twenty year old said almost as if she were afraid. She almost didn't recognize the woman with so little skin showing. She walked to the sink farthest from the other woman and turned the nozzle. After a few seconds, she noticed the woman hadn't left yet and she was just watching her as she scrubbed her hands. "What?" Regina refused to look at her as she stared at the water in the sink below her.

Maleficent lazily walked a little closer. "I love that dress." She said in a low, uncomfortable voice. "Where'd you get it?"

"Dolce and Gabanna." Regina answered before turning off the sink. "On Rodeo Drive."

"Hmm…" Maleficent began. "I was supposed to shop there this afternoon, but decided I didn't wanna be around those rich, snooty bitches." Regina looked at the paper towels behind Mal but she didn't want to be rude, so she thought she would wait for her to move before reaching for one. "I'm too good for them anyway." Maleficent smiled and Regina was relieved when she finally stepped aside and she was able to dry her hands and leave as soon as possible. "You here with your mom?" Mal changed the subject. Regina rolled her eyes behind closed lids so the terrifying woman wouldn't see her annoyance and she opened them to see that she had moved even closer to her now, inches from her face. "Mama's girl." Maleficent whispered and she smiled even wider before giggling at herself. She loved to mess with people. It made her forget about her pain and the expressions this little girl gave made her the most fun to play with. Regina stepped around the woman and left, feeling extremely uncomfortable and hoping that that was the last time she'd ever have to see her.

Maleficent laughed a little louder after the girl left and looked at herself in the mirror, forgetting what she was wearing for a second but then remembering that she had to straighten her posture and return to the table, knowing that Mr. Gold would not be too happy for making them wait so long.

"Ah, here she is." Mr. Gold said as everyone at the table stood upon Maleficent's return.

She almost stopped walking as soon as she noticed the table had gained three more people after she'd gone...Regina being one of them. She and the young girl both exchanged the same look of astonishment as Regina kept her mouth open for a bit before everyone else sat back down and they both snapped out of it, following suit.

"Maleficent, this is my dear wife, Cora." The white haired man gestured toward the oldest woman at the table. "And this is my business associate, Isaac." He moved his hand to present the dark haired man, about late in his thirties, who smiled and nodded his head to her. "And my darling daughter, Regina."

"Maleficent? Is that like the queen from 'Sleeping Beauty?'" Regina wondered out loud.

"Regina!" Her mother scolded on account of bad manners and the young girl retreated, putting her head down a bit. She put it back up, however, when she noticed Mal smirk, knowing that she had been proven right about the timid girl obeying her mother consistently.

"It's alright." Mal smiled to Cora. "And yes, it is. My mother was very fond of the fairytale villains for some reason. I also had foster sisters named Ursula and Cruella."

"You were adopted?" Isaac asked.

"No. They were. My birth mother and father loved children. They became foster parents to twelve and eventually adopted three." Mal smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Okay, Mr. Mills. Let's talk business." Mr. Gold began and their food was served right on time.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey, I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I last updated. Graduation's in a few days so I've been super busy and I've had no time to go somewhere with wi-fi for putting up new chapters. I hope you like this chapter. Please review! Thanks so much for your patience guys! Love ya. Mwah!

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Chap 4

"I'm sorry." Maleficent sounded like she had done something wrong when they had gone back up to the top floor penthouse. She ripped off her wig and threw it on the coffee table in the family room.

"For what?" Mr. Gold asked, taking off his suit jacket and tie.

"Just, I'm not used to those kinds of people." She sat on the couch, took off her boots and rested her feet on the coffee table beside her wig.

"You warmed up eventually." He walked around to the other side of the couch behind her and she laid her head on the back of the sofa to look up at him behind her. Her gaze followed him until he sat on the couch next to her, staring at her feet on the table disapprovingly.

She noticed what he looked at and slowly put her feet down. Just as soon as she did, he gently put his hands underneath her knees to pick up her legs and put them over his lap. He began to rub her feet, knowing how painful those awful shoes must feel.

She closed her eyes and smiled, calmly humming for a few moments before she finally remembered what he had said earlier. "What did you mean when you said you would buy me new shoes tomorrow?"

"I meant that I was gonna buy you new shoes tomorrow." He lightly smiled.

"No. I mean, why? After I leave tonight, I won't matter to you anymore."

He stopped rubbing her feet for a moment. "I was going to ask you to stay for the week. Especially after seeing how good you were tonight at dinner."

"Stay? For the whole week? Why?" She hesitated.

"Well, I'm only here for the week, and I would like some company as well as someone to accompany me on a few more business matters. I'll pay you whatever you want." He began to rub her feet again.

"You can't afford me." A small sideways smile grew on her mouth, their foreheads almost touching.

"Try me." He smiled back and her half smile turned into a full sized grin.

* * *

Regina was relieved to take out her earrings and let her long dark hair fall out of its tight, high ponytail. She looked at herself in the body mirror near the hotel bed of her room and she did not like what she saw. She thought about the dinner table tonight and became even more unhappy with her life for she realized that she was not a person at all. Not even a person obeying orders, she was just an extra body for others to look at and push around.

She was beginning to fall apart. What was she going to do? All her life she had thought of studying law...and now she was. Yet, she found no joy in it. She had gotten into a great college and she was blessed for she was able to afford it, unlike her sad roommate who truly loved her studies and did well in school, but was eventually asked to leave because of the money.

She began to think of Daniel, her old fiance who was driven away by her mother and eventually transferred schools after the pain of their separation. Almost a Romeo and Juliet story, only with a few twists and no reuniting by death or otherwise at the end. He too had moved to the other side of the country, closer to Regina's sister (that he never met). Regina moved to sit back down on the bed and she reached down to take off her heels.

She held one in front of her face, causing her to think of another painful memory.

" _This sounds like a bad idea." Regina looked around her, expecting to see someone catch the two of them. "What if someone sees us?"_

" _They won't." The annoyed sixteen year old answered her panic-stricken friend. "Come on." She whispered, finally finishing to pick the lock on the door. "Told you. It's all about the tumblers."_

" _Emma." Regina whispered._

 _The blonde smiled as the door opened. She turned to look at the brunette behind her and waved her hand toward her, welcoming her in. "Let's go."_

" _Emma, why are we doing this?" The seventeen year old asked._

" _Because. Don't you want a nice pair of shoes?"_

" _My parents can buy them for me!" Regina immediately regretted saying that. She knew that every time she brought up her family's riches (or her family at all) it hurt Emma. As a foster kid with unloving guardians, young Emma Swan and Regina Mills had made a promise to never speak of their families or of money to one another._

 _They went inside the shoe store and Emma went to the section with high-knee leather boots while Regina hesitantly stood by the front door looking around and still feeling as though someone might catch them. "Why is there no alarm?" Regina asked._

 _Emma scoffed. "Do you WANT there to be an alarm?" She asked as though her friend was taking the fun out of everything._

" _No, I just…"_

" _Listen," Emma stepped in closely to her best friend. "...there was no alarm because we didn't break in...We unlocked the door, didn't we?" She smiled and stepped backwards before excitedly turning around and running back to the boots._

" _Illegally." Regina whispered to herself before finally deciding to lighten up a bit and walking over to the high heels. She picked up one of the heels from a nice pair of silver six inches and she glared at it before looking over her shoulder to her friend near the other wall. Emma was having a blast and her arms were full with about four or five different pairs of boots. Regina looked back to the heel in her hand, smiled and decided to try it on._

"Regina?"

Regina gasped, snapping out of her memory and hearing her mother yell to her through the bedroom door. She put the high heel on the floor before continuing to remove the other one.

"Yes, Mother?"

"May I please come in?"

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes before answering. "Yeah."

Cora walked in and stood by the doorway as she looked at her daughter. There was silence between them for a while and Regina awkwardly broke the eye contact when she finally took off her second shoe. "What?" Regina quietly mumbled, as she put both shoes on the floor beside the bed.

"The Nolans should arrive here tomorrow afternoon." Cora finally said, expecting the look of pleading protest she received from Regina. "I know. I know. Just, please at least meet David. I know you'll like him."

"Mama. I'm not-"

"Regina, darling." Cora stepped closer to the bed and sat beside her daughter. Regina turned her head to the right and looked at her controlling mother. "All I've ever wanted for you and your sister was success for the both of you."

Regina turned her head once more to look at the wall across from her as she felt a bit guilty.

"And I want you to have a successful husband as well. I don't want you to be going to work and providing for your family as your husband sits at home, sleeping with all of your unemployed friends."

"Mother!"

"And we both know that pretty much all of your friends will be applying for welfare by the time they're 28." Cora said quietly with a smug look on her face, but loud enough for her to hear.

Regina abruptly stood up from the bed and began to pace back and forth. She knew exactly whom she was talking about.

"So. I expect you to meet David, be ladylike, and imagine a future with him." Cora stood and smiled at the twenty year old who glared at her mother through squinted eyes. She began to walk towards the door to leave, but she stopped with her hand on the door knob. "Oh, and your sister is bringing her fiance with her when she comes on Wednesday."

"Zelena's coming?" Regina suddenly grinned, excited to see her sister after eight months. The last time they had seen each other was during Christmas break and she missed her (more priveleged) sister. Even if she did occassionally start fights between them and sometimes ratted Regina out.

"Yes. And I expect you to take notes from their relationship." Cora grinned and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chap 5

"Well, good morning Ms. Mills."

"Oh, um. Hello, Mr. Gold." Regina cleared her throat when she saw the two from dinner the night before in the lobby of the hotel. "How are you two this morning?"

Maleficent squinted at the young girl, noticing the tear stained eyes as they approached her.

"I'm well, and you?" Gold replied.

"Um." The twenty year old cleared her throat once more. "I'm okay. I'm good. Great actually." The brunette lied and quickly changed the subject as Maleficent studied the nervousness of the young woman. "So...what are you two doing today?" Regina finally managed to choke out.

"Well, I am taking the lady here on her first trip to Rodeo Drive." Mr. Gold smiled at Maleficent beside him. "Where are your parents?"

"They had to go to some sort of breakfast brunch."

"What are you doing down here?" The fifty-two year old man asked.

"Well, I have a dinner to go to tonight," Regina sighed thinking of having to meet her mother's idea of a good husband for her, "...and my mother told me to buy a new evening gown. So, I was just headed to the hotel store." Regina weakly smiled and she looked at the floor when she noticed the blonde woman still staring at her.

"Why don't you join us?" Mr. Gold asked. Regina looked up at him as if he were joking. "Yeah. I mean, this'll be Maleficent's first time and who better to show her around than a young girl with all the fashion secrets?" Gold almost laughed at himself. "Plus, I have a meeting around noon, so maybe you two could stay longer instead of having to rush to find new clothes." Regina was pondering the possibility of going. "What do you say?"

Looking at the strange grin on the other woman's face, Regina suddenly answered with a yes that she hadn't heard herself saying until Mr. Gold said, "Great. My driver should be here any moment." The man stood in between the girls, putting both elbows out to lead them toward the front door of the hotel. "Ladies?" The blonde looked at the twenty year old who looked at her as well. They took each arm of Mr. Gold's and they headed towards the exit.

She didn't know why she said yes, but Regina didn't regret it at all by the end of the day. She had told the two of the best places to shop on the popular street of Beverly Hills. After Mr. Gold left, she brought Maleficent to the most popular hair salon and spa, _All Hands On Neck_.

"Come on. There's someone I'd love for you to meet." Regina practically ran into the salon like a kindergarten girl seeing her best friend for the first time after summer vacation. Maleficent got out of Mr. Gold's limo behind the excited brunette. She closed the door to the black vehicle, leaving all of her shopping bags in there. She bent down to look through the passenger side window.

"I'd say come back in about an hour and a half, Jefferson." Mal said to the driver.

"You got it." The light brown haired man replied.

Mal put her new sunglasses over her eyes and she stood up, turning around to face the building in front of her. She looked at her reflection in one of the tall windows, admiring her new business-looking outfit and she let out a sigh of relief with a satisfying smile before finally entering the spa.

"Maleficent!" The blonde heard her name as she looked around in awe at the surprisingly large space inside. "Over here." Mal looked over and finally spotted Regina on the opposite side of the room, standing by a chair where a man was finishing up with a client's hair. The older woman started to walk over to the three and she began to grow nervous, the way she had the night before at dinner with Regina's family. She looked around at the people whom she realized were all exactly like the snooty people in the hotel. "I want you to meet Killian!" Regina shrieked upon Mal's approach. "He owns this place."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Maleficent." She stuck out her hand to shake his, but he was still in the middle of finishing the client's hair, so the blonde awkwardly pulled her hand back, feeling embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you too." The tall and devilishly handsome man finally finished with the blonde woman's style and he took off her cape before helping her stand up from the client's chair. "There you go, Kathryn."

"Thanks, Killian." The stranger grinned at the man who kissed her hand before she turned to leave. "I will see you soon." When she faced Maleficent, she winked at her and Mal was confused, expecting Killian to be gay because of his job.

"This is the best hair dresser, makeup artist, and massage therapist in all of Los Angeles." Regina swore it was true. She leaned her head against his shoulder after he sat down in his chair. "And he throws the best parties." The twenty year old smiled at Killian, moving away from him and grabbing Mal's arm to pull her closer to him. "I want you to give her a makeover."

"What?" Mal looked at the hyper girl beside her.

"Yes. Do her makeup, her hair...whatever you want. Have fun." Regina practically pushed Mal into the chair. When Maleficent sat down, she noticed that she was still wearing her long black wig.

"What would you like me to do?" Killian asked Mal from behind the chair, his accent driving her crazy as it made him more sexy. "I could bring you into the back and give you a massage." He suggested.

"No, Killian." Regina said, knowing what he was really thinking.

"What? I was just going to give her a massage." He slowly slid his hands down the back of Mal's neck and onto her shoulders. The woman in his chair closed her eyes, trying hard to resist the urge to moan and he smiled at the look on her face in the mirror.

"Killian!" Regina said, startling Maleficent's eyes to open.

"Alright, alright!" The Irish man put his hands up in defense when Regina slapped him in the shoulder. He turned his attention back to his reflection in the mirror before looking at Maleficent's. "What would you like me to do?" He asked in a bored tone of voice.

"Well…" Mal didn't know how to tell him, so she just decided to show instead. She closed her eyes once more, slowly taking off the wig, revealing her medium-long blonde hair. Regina was taken aback and she accidentally caught herself, not blinking. "Um…" Maleficent felt exposed for some reason. "Blonde." She said, pointing to herself.

Regina smiled. "Better."

Caught off guard, Maleficent blushed and she turned her attention away from the smiling young girl to the man behind her, letting him start her "makeover."


	6. Chapter 6

Chap 6

"So, what do you think, milady?" Killian said as he slowly turned Maleficent's chair around to face the mirror.

Mal looked at her new, rich look and she stared long and hard at her soft, shiny, golden locks. He had given her a few low lights and layered it a bit in the back, giving it a loose perm. She stared at her hair, no words came out. The lump in her throat made it impossible for her to speak. She looked at the soft smoky eye he gave her and the skin colored gloss that made her lips shine. She hated herself right now, feeling pathetic that a makeover that some twenty year old's best man friend had given her had made her feel choked up as well as more alive. But the truth was, this was the closest she had ever gotten to looking like a movie star. It had been her dream since she was a child. And she left her home to come to this place and make those dreams come true...But this city has a way of letting you down completely. This makeover had brought tears to her eyes because she looked at her reflection feeling as though a light had flickered on inside her for a brief moment. That light that had faded away along with her dreams the first time she realized that she had strayed off the path and accidentally found herself on a new one, to prostitution.

"I love it. Thank you." Mal was finally able to say once she felt that light flicker back off inside of her.

"You're so very welcome." The flirtatious man said as he put down his hair brush. "Regina, my love. What do you think?" The black-haired man gestured toward the blonde as the young girl returned from speaking with one of the other massage therapists. She took Killian's hand as he offered it to her to lead her closer to his chair.

"Oh. Wow!" The law student exclaimed as she approached them. "You look amazing! Great job, Jones!" Regina gave the man a high five and Maleficent was surprised to see her this way. For the first time, the young woman had seemed confident and she looked like she was in the right place around these people. She was more comfortable and not at all the nervous, timid little girl back at the hotel. "How much?"

"Oh, come on Regina!" Mal turned her head to one of the girls washing a client's hair by the sinks, whom she had not noticed was listening to them. In fact, the whole salon began to mutter things to the young girl all at once and Maleficent couldn't even tell what they were saying. She just made out a few things, like one of the clerks at the desk yelling, "You know that as long as you've been coming here, Killian never makes you pay." For some reason, all these people yelling at the blushing twenty year old made Maleficent smile and she finally stood from the chair. She looked at herself in the mirror once more and admired the work he had done. She turned to Killian and said, "Do you accept tips at least?"

"Hmmm…" He moved in close, to be inches from her face. "What kind of tips?" He winked at her and Regina scoffed, her grin never leaving her face though.

"Killian, no!" Regina laughed, grabbing Maleficent's hand and pulling her away from the horny man. "It's okay. You don't have to give him anything." She said to Maleficent while playfully squinting at Killian Jones, who gave her the same look.

"No, really. I want to." Mal gently pulled her hand out of Regina's grip and stepped closer to Killian. She closed the space between them, their bodies touching, as she reached her hand down her bra to pull out a fifty dollar bill. Regina noticed that she was doing this to tease him and she watched as Killian had a hard time keeping himself from growing as he stared down the woman's shirt. "You can have it all." Maleficent said in a low, husky voice, almost making him pass out as she slipped the money into his front pocket. "You're very good with your hands."

Everyone in the salon was watching and once Killian unconsciously moved his face closer to hers, staring at her plump lips, she quickly stepped away, giggling and every customer and worker in there said, "Oooooo." for this was the first time they had ever seen a stranger turn him down. He had always gotten girls and had never been rejected the way he just was.

"Guess it's a good thing he has two of those hands then, huh?" One of the female workers said before laughing and giving another girl a high five. Clearly they had both had their fun with Killian and everyone in the spa chuckled at her.

"Thank you." Mal said to the man in a high-pitched, chipper voice moving closer to Regina.

Her resistance drove Killian crazy and Regina laughed while they turned to leave. "I'll see you guys later." She said, still giggling just as she reached the door.

"All right! Love you, girl!" The same woman at the desk shouted.

"Love you too! Bye, Jacklyn!" The twenty year old waved to the woman by the door. "See ya, Milah!" Regina blew one single kiss to everyone in the salon and she exited, turning around to face the street, Maleficent right beside her.

"The driver shouldn't be here for another 45 minutes or so. I thought we'd be a bit longer in there." Maleficent said, looking at her new watch.

"Wanna grab a cup of coffee or something?" Regina asked her, pointing to a small little cafe across the street from them.

"Uh, sure." Mal said. "Yeah."

They crossed the road and got their seats at the cafe outside before the waitress took their orders.

"So...Have you been going to that hair and spa for a long time?" Maleficent wondered aloud.

"Only about a few years."

"Yeah? You seem pretty close to them." The blonde stated.

"Sort of, I guess." The waitress made it over to them with the coffee mug and she left saying that she'd be back with their muffins soon. "I just went in there one day, after my mom and I were having a fight, and I was gonna cut my hair short."

"How short?" Mal asked, bringing the hot cup of coffee to her lips. Regina kept it to herself, but she was shocked at the fact that the blonde did not wait even a second before drinking the steaming liquid. For some reason, Mal preferred things to be a bit hotter.

"Very short." Regina answered. "I was crying and I just wanted to piss my mom off. So I went in and asked for someone to just cut it all off and they all asked me why and, as emotional as I was, I told them the whole fight...and since then, they've just kind of been there for me."

Mal had no clue what to say to that so she just took another sip of coffee. The waitress returned with their apple cinnamon muffins and she left the two alone, in the awkward silence.

About a half an hour passed and they had both finished their muffins in the quiet, listening to the sounds of the busy street of Rodeo Drive. Maleficent looked at her watch once more and she suggested that they go back across the street, because Mr. Gold always had Jefferson arrive about five to ten minutes early. They split the bill and went back across the street. It was only about eight more minutes and the black limousine slowly drove up to the curb. Jefferson got out and held the door open for the both of them.

"Oh! Um, Jefferson, can we make a quick stop in Engelwood?" The older woman wondered, Regina looking at her, confused.

"Where to?"

"1164 Walker Avenue."

"Sure."

"I'm sorry." Maleficent quietly said to Regina in the back seat. "It'll be quick."

"Okay." Regina said before looking out the window.

They made their stop and Mal could tell by the look on Regina's face that she was afraid of this neighborhood. "Would you like to come in with me?" She wasn't sure if she wanted her to go into her home, but she also didn't want the young girl to be so frightened.

The nervous brunette anxiously nodded and she followed Maleficent up to her apartment. Once they reached her door, Mal noticed that she left her key back at the hotel. She knocked on the door.

A voice came from inside, "Who is it?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chap 7

"Who is it?" A woman's voice came from behind the door.

"It's your father!" Maleficent yelled through the door in a fake, low man's voice.

Suddenly, the door opened only enough to look out into the hallway and the woman, in about her early thirties, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing who it was. She opened the door all the way and slapped the blonde on the shoulder. "Don't do that!" Maleficent laughed at herself. "You know he could still be looking for me."

"Oh, Belle. Maurice hasn't found you in five years, what makes you think he'd find you now?" Maleficent walked in, Regina slowly following behind.

"I don't know. It's possible." Belle smiled at her.

Mal giggled and she closed the door behind Regina. "Regina, this is Belle, my roommate. Belle, this is Regina. She's staying at the hotel where I'm...you know."

"Wow! You must be rich." Belle said, shaking the girl's hand.

"Not really. My parents are rich." Regina said, still nervous.

"Mommy!" Suddenly, this visit got even more surprising for Regina as she thought she was hearing things when a little girl voice pierced through the air.

The dark haired child that came out of nowhere from the next room jumped into Maleficent's arms. "Lily! Hello, Baby Cakes!" The woman squeezed her in a tight hug. "How was the park?"

"Good. I made a new friend!"

"You did?" Mal asked, leaning over to set her daughter down, but staying bent over herself to be at eye level with the excited three year old.

"Yeah. Her name is Alzandra."

"Alexandra?" Maleficent asked excitedly, internally laughing at her pronunciation of some words.

"Yeah. And she wikes, she wikes, she wikes dragons. Wike me!"

"She does?" The only blonde in the room smiled up at her best friend/roommate.

"And Aunt Belle push'ded us on the stwings."

"Yeah and we had ice cream!" Belle added as she set a hand on her goddaughter's head.

Maleficent playfully gasped. "You had ice cream?"

Lily nodded and Mal kissed her on the forehead, picking her up one more time. "Lillith, this is Regina. Say hi."

"Hi!" The toddler grinned at the new adult.

"Hi." Regina waved to the little girl in Maleficent's arms. She was impressed at the child, for she had never in her life seen a kid NOT be shy around strangers.

"Say, 'it's nice to meet you.'" Mal smiled to her baby.

"Nice to meek you." Lily waved to Regina and turned her head away from her, hugging her mother.

"It's hard to understand her sometimes." Belle chuckled, holding one of Lillith's hands. "But, boy, is she a talker?" She laughed.

"Hey, Baby Girl. Why don't you go get your drawings to show Regina? Okay?" Mal said to her daughter, setting her down.

The toddler ran away and Regina didn't know how to process all of this. _She had a roommate? A roommate with an Australian accent? How did they meet? She had a daughter? Who was the father? WHERE was the father? What sort of little girl liked dragons?_

"You can sit down if you want to." Belle kindly said to Regina, snapping her out of her thoughts..

"We can't stay very long. I just came to give you this." Maleficent took out all of the money she had with her and handed it to the short brunette. "I'll bring more once he pays me again, but that should be good for this month AND next month's rent."

Belle took the money, extremely shocked at the amount of cash she was given, and put it in an old coffee can that held their apartment money. "How long are you staying with him?"

"Only a few more days. Is that okay?" Mal felt guilty about having to leave her daughter with Belle, but this could help them with their rent situation for more than a few months.

"Oh yeah. That's fine. Lily's been very good."

"Thank you." Maleficent practically whispered, as if she were a bit embarrassed.

"Of course. Besides," Lily came out holding a few papers in her small hand and Belle walked over to her, scooping her up in her arms and holding her so that she had easy access to blow raspberries on her stomach. "...you know I love my Lily Boo!" Lillith burst out into laughter as Belle tickled her.

Regina loosened up a bit and giggled as she watched the two. She looked over at Maleficent who was laughing and she turned her attention to Regina, playfully rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"Aahhh. Down. Down!" Lily squirmed, trying to get out of Belle's grip until finally, her godmother put her down. She was still laughing a bit when she walked up to Regina and handed her the drawings she had in hand. "Zeese are the pitchers Mama said to show you."

"Oh, wow." Regina looked down at Lily and smiled before taking the papers from her. "These are very good. Is this a dragon?" She pointed to a paper with purple scribbles on it. Mal looked at her, impressed that Regina got it right. Lillith nodded excitedly. "Wow. I love the fangs!" The twenty year old pointed to a pair of lime green triangles and Belle shared the same impressed face with Maleficent. Regina missed their exchanged looks as she continued to speak with Lily about the photos, but Mal and Belle were both shocked that she was the only one to know what any of the baby's drawings were. Even they didn't know, and they lived with her. "Well, Lillith. Those are very good." Regina smiled down at the three year old after observing the last picture of the pile.

"Tank you." Lily tried to say thank you as Regina's heart melted when the adorableness of this child immediately got to her.

"Alright, Baby Cakes. Mommy has to leave." The blonde knelt down next to her daughter. "But I'll be back tomorrow to see you. Okay, Doll?"

"But I don't want you to weave." Lillith's eyes began to tear up and she pouted her bottom lip.

"I know, Sweetie. But I have to work." Mal held Lily's face with both hands. "I promise I'll see you tomorrow. And you and Aunt Belle are gonna have a great time. Right, Belle?" She looked up to her roommate.

"Absolutely." Belle smiled at the little girl.

Regina's heart shattered upon witnessing this. Especially when Maleficent picked up the toddler one more time and hugged her tightly with her eyes closed. A single mother, trying her hardest to raise a child with her best friend and having to do what she does. She couldn't imagine anything like it. Something sparked inside her. An anger, a frustration. All those people who judged Maleficent built up a terrible pain in Regina. She saw the love between the mother and daughter here, even in their difficult situation, and she thought of her relationship with her own mother. This saddened her even more and she was relieved when they were finally ready to leave so she wouldn't have to think about it anymore.

They made their way back down to the limo and got in. "Sorry, Jefferson. It took a little longer than I was expecting. You can take us back to the hotel now." Maleficent said.

The car ride was just as quiet as when the girls were at the cafe on Rodeo Drive. But Maleficent noticed Regina's attitude as she watched her, staring out the window.

"Are you okay?" The blonde finally broke the silence.

Regina didn't answer the question, but she asked one of her own. "How old is Lily?"

"She's three. Almost four."

"Does she know what you do?" She felt really stupid asking that question.

"Oh...No." Mal said. "She just pretty much thinks that Belle and I play dress up for a living."

"Where's her father?" She didn't want to ask that one, but it just popped out. Maleficent looked down at her hands, fiddling in her lap. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean t-" Regina looked back out the window.

They made it back to the hotel and when Mal got out of the limo, she saw her reflection in the glass of the building again. She gasped, "Ugh. I think I left my wig at home." Mal sighed and reached her hand up to graze her newly done hair, the bags of new clothes hanging on both arms.

"Do you wanna go back?" Regina walked around the car with her own bags and joined Maleficent on the sidewalk.

"No. Jefferson is off duty until six o'clock tonight." The limo was already gone when they both turned to look for him.

"What about a taxi?" Regina suggested.

"I just gave all the money I had to Belle."

"I can give you some."

"No." Maleficent's pride got the better of her.

Regina put her head down for a moment. She then looked up to the woman next to her. "I like your natural hair better anyways."

Maleficent weakly smiled at the brunette and she began to walk towards the entrance of the hotel. Just before she reached the door she said, "I guess I can last one night without it."

Regina stopped herself from saying what was on her mind, which was that she could last the rest of her life without it, but she just continued walking and she was appalled, as well as terrified, at what she saw when they entered the hotel.

"Regina! Oh, Regina! Thank God, you're okay." A [fake] crying Cora rushed to her daughter and pulled her in for a [fake] hug. "Where on Earth have you been?" The angry mother hissed in her daughter's ear so the others in the hotel couldn't hear her coldness. She pulled out of the hug and went back to sounding warm hearted. "We were so worried about you."

"Regina, Darling." Henry walked over to the three and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "See, Cora. I told you she was fine." He turned to the policeman who was standing in the lobby with them holding a notepad. "Thank you, Sheriff Graham. I'm sorry for your troubles." Mr. Mills shook his hand and the officer left.

"You called the police?" Regina wondered, annoyed.

"Well, you didn't tell anyone where you were and when you didn't answer your phone-" Her mother began.

"My phone died." The twenty year old gestured toward the woman who awkwardly stood next to her. "You remember Malefic-"

Cora sighed, extremely annoyed. "When will this behavior ever end, Regina? That's what you say every time you disappear." She referenced the dead cell phone, obviously ignoring Maleficent's presence.

"My phone DID die. And I didn't disappear. I got a dress like YOU wanted." The frustrated daughter lifted an arm showing the clothes bags on it.

"Which should not have taken six hours. And you missed the arrival of the Nolans, which means you won't get to meet David before dinner tonight the way you wanted to. So, you're just gonna have to have dinner like a blind date I guess." Cora reached up a hand to fix one little piece of Regina's hair that was just out of place. "But whose fault is that?" She smugly smiled at her daughter. "I mean if you hadn't gone and run off, yet again-"

"I wasn't running off!"

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. If you weren't, then why were you gone for six hours?"

"I was shopping! You believe me, don't you Daddy?"

"Of course, Darling." Henry answered, immediately receiving a nasty look from his wife.

"Henry! Don't defend her. Why do you always stick up for her? You remember what happened last time."

"Mother." Regina looked down sadly and embarrassed. "Please. I asked you to never bring that up again."

"Well, how can I not? And now you're hanging out with HER?" The angry mother pointed to the blonde standing beside her youngest daughter.

"Mother!" Regina yelled.

"Cora, please." Henry tried controlling his wife, but it was impossible.

"Regina, we'll talk about this later." Cora finally realized that the people in the lobby were there watching and she wanted to keep their family's good reputation, if they even still had one. "We're going upstairs to get ready for dinner. Now!" She turned around grabbing her husband's hand and leading him to the elevators.

"I'm so sorry." Regina almost cried apologizing to Mal. She followed her parents up to their room, leaving the blonde alone to think about what she had just witnessed.

* * *

A/N: I hope you really liked this chapter. :D Please review and I'll update ASAP. :*


	8. Chapter 8

Chap 8

Mr. Gold didn't return back to the hotel until about midnight and he felt guilty leaving Maleficent for so long. He entered the penthouse, setting down his suit jacket on the table by the door before putting his phone on the charger. He walked into the family room of the suite and he was surprised to find, on the couch, his guest sound asleep on her side.

He slowly stepped down the dip that led into the circle of the family room as he unbuttoned the cuffs of his sleeves. He took a blanket from the other sofa beside him. He cautiously covered her with it, hoping not to wake her. He was looking at the peaceful look on her face when he realized that there was something in her hand that lay underneath her head. He reached down and slowly took it, shocked that she didn't budge. He weakly smiled at her before looking at the black and white photo of her smiling and touching foreheads with a baby, whom he assumed was a baby girl considering she wore a small headband with a cute little daisy on it. Gold looked back down to the sleeping woman and he set the photo on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He kneeled down and softly kissed her on the lips, ignoring her number one rule of no kissing on the mouth. He pulled back after a moment and smiled again, standing up and going into the bedroom. He wanted to pick her up to put her on the comfortable bed, but he didn't want to wake her. He took a short shower and went to bed.

The next morning, he slowly opened his eyes for a minute before tiredly closing them again. In about ten seconds, his eyes shot open as he noticed that he was holding someone. He looked down at Maleficent curled up on his chest. She still had her eyes closed but her mouth curled into a morning smile as she squeezed him tighter.

She quietly hummed before saying, "Good morning."

The wealthy man smiled and replied. "Well, hello."

Maleficent finally opened her eyes and she lightly chuckled. "Hi." She saw the funny look he gave her. "What?"

"I don't recall falling asleep with you last night." He grinned.

Mal laughed and she pulled the blankets up over her even more as she curled into Gold closing her eyes again. She didn't exactly answer his question but what she said answered it for him. "I thought I told you there was no kissing on the lips." Her smile grew and he realized that she had been awake the whole time on the couch last night. No wonder she didn't budge. She wanted him to think that she was still asleep.

Gold giggled. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist."

"Well, it's gonna cost you more." She joked and they both chuckled before finally getting out of bed and changing. Gold was proud of her new wardrobe that she bought yesterday and he called room service for breakfast. "So how'd it go?" He asked after hanging up.

"What?" Maleficent yelled through the bathroom door as she put on her makeup.

"How'd it go yesterday? Rodeo Drive. The Mills' daughter. How was it?"

She smiled into the mirror. "Good. Good. Hey, did you know that Regina's parents were so…"

"So what?" He sat down at the couch in the living room, sorting some paperwork on the coffee table.

"So controlling? Judgmental? Dramatic?" Mal finished, remembering the police being called last night.

"Well, that's rich people, Dearie." The woman finally finished her hair and makeup and she joined him on the couch. "Why do you say so?"

"Well, yesterday….They called the cops when Regina went shopping...which was her mother's idea by the way."

"Ahhh." Gold nodded. "That's because Mrs. Mills is afraid that Regina is going to end up on every magazine cover or front page of the newspaper."

"Why?" Mal thought of the quiet, timid, and innocent young girl that she has gotten to know at least a little bit, and she wondered how Cora Mills could think such a thing.

Before Mr. Gold could answer, there was a knock on the hotel room door and he stood to answer it. "Ms. Mills?" He smiled upon opening the door. And Maleficent stood, walking closer to the two standing by the entrance. "What brings you here this morning?"

"I'm sorry." Regina apologized, putting her head down as if she did something wrong. "We must've gotten our bags mixed up. This one is yours and one of mine was missing." The brunette held out the bag on her arm and Maleficent took it before walking to look for Regina's missing bag. "I'm sorry for bothering you so early." She apologized again to Mr. Gold when Mal walked away.

"Oh, don't worry about it." He smiled and she loosened up a bit. "Thanks for showing her around yesterday." She nodded. "And I'm sorry about your parents. I heard about them calling the police. If I had known they would be so worried, I would've called them myself."

"It's okay." She replied quickly. "And it's not my parents….It's my mother."

He nodded and Maleficent returned with Regina's bag. "You're right. I'm sorry about that." Mal handed her the bag.

"Thank you." The young girl said, still standing in the doorway.

"How did it go last night?" The blonde asked about the dinner meeting Regina's 'future husband.'

"Oh, good. Good." Regina answered, not too convincingly.

"Well, uh, would you like to come in for some breakfast?" Gold asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Oh. No. No. My mother's waiting for me, but thank you." She turned to leave but Maleficent stopped her.

"Oh, uh. Regina." Mal said, almost forgetting her name for a second. The twenty year old turned around. "I was going to go look for my wig later today, would you like to come? I'm sure Lily would love to see you again." Gold was unaware of what was going on right now.

"I'll, uh. I'll ask my mother." Regina smiled and she turned to leave, Gold shutting the door behind her.

"Lily?" The wealthy man said. "Is she the baby from the photo?" He remembered the picture of Mal and an infant last night.

"Yes." Mal answered, awkwardly walking back into the living room.

"How old is she?"

"She's almost four." She smiled at the photograph that she picked up off the coffee table where Gold had left it.

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door and Gold opened it, still being the closest to it.

"Oh, thank you." Mr. Gold took the room service cart from the working man and he paid him, including a twenty dollar tip before bringing in the food and setting it on the table.

Maleficent joined him in the dining room and they sat down and began to eat.

"So, what was last night?" Gold finally asked, remembering that she had asked Regina how the night before went.

"Huh?"

"Regina. You asked her how last night went."

"Oh. Her mother pretty much set her up on this blind date kind of thing. Apparently she still thinks we're in the era where people have arranged marriages."

"Mmmm…" He nodded, now beginning to agree that Cora was a bit controlling. "Did she say who it was she was meeting?" He knew pretty much every wealthy person around, so he wondered if he'd know who it was Cora Mills believed to be a great man for her daughter.

"Darrin, Dustin. Something like that. Last name, um...Nolan, I think." She took a bite of her toast.

"David?"

She nodded, her mouth full. "Yeah, yeah. That's it."

"Hmmm…" He took a sip of orange juice. "Good kid. I know his father quite well."

"You rich people really stick together, don't you?" She asked almost laughing and taking a bite of her scrambled eggs. "Well, I guess it shouldn't really be called 'sticking together.'" She chuckled to herself. "There are so many scandals that go on in your circle of wealth, but you still all pretend to like each other."

He chuckled as well. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, please. You're not the only millionaire client I've ever had, you know." She saw the funny look on his face and she giggled. "Plus I watch TV." She admitted and he laughed at her before taking a bite of his pancake. "Really, though. You'd be surprised at the amount of guys I get that you probably know yourself."

"Oh, no. I'm sure I wouldn't be surprised at all."

She smiled at him and he grinned back before they both returned their attention to their plates.

"So…" She finally broke the silence. "Why does Mrs. Controlling think that Ms. Innocence is going to end up on the cover of some magazine or something?"

"She may not have been on any covers yet, but she has already had some of her own articles. And...she's not as innocent as you may think."

"Really? What'd she do?"

"Well, I don't know much. But I do know that there were some rumors about her with a married man. Also, she had a few partying habits in school. Ended up unconscious on the side of the road one night. They brought her to the hospital and found all sorts of drugs and stuff in her system. Almost died."

"Wow." Mal whispered. "You would never think-"

"I know. But as controlling as her mother is, she got her clean. And...I hear that her sister was the reason Cora didn't disown her from the family."

"She has a sister?"

"Yeah. Zelena. She lives in New York City. There were rumors that Mrs. Mills was going to leave young Regina in the hospital, but her sister flew in and knocked some sense into the both of them. If you asked me, she's the reason that family is still together. Without Zelena, they would not be where they are right now."

This was a lot to process and Maleficent felt as though Regina's entire existence had changed just by hearing this. No longer would she look at her the same way again.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

"You want to come?" Maleficent shockingly asked Gold as he grabbed his jacket when she got ready to leave.

"Yeah. I have a meeting later this afternoon, so I thought I'd just do what we did yesterday. Plus, I can probably convince Mrs. Mills to give young Regina a break and let her come with us." Gold put his suit jacket on and Mal smiled before leaving the hotel room and going down to the next floor's penthouse.

Gold knocked on the door to the Mills' hotel room and Cora answered. "Hello. We were going out and wondered if your daughter would come with us?"

"Really?" Cora chuckled. "And where is it you're going?" She glared at Maleficent, judging her and Gold a bit for even having a prostitute.

"We were going to go out and I was going to show Maleficent around a bit before grabbing some lunch. If that's okay?"

Mrs. Mills glared at him for a moment as if she were trying to depict a lie in his being, making Mal a little bit nervous.

"I promise to take good care of her and we will be back around 3 o'clock."

Cora thought about it for a second, the same look of suspicion still on her face. But, remembering that Mr. Gold was known for being quite a boring businessman, she thought that there could be no harm in what HE would be doing today. "Regina." She called into the room behind her. They waited a minute and the young girl stepped behind her. She grew nervous as she saw who was at the door. "Mr. Gold here wants to take you out for some lunch. Now, you may go, but please be back no later than 2:30." She changed the time just to show Gold that she was still in control and they all nodded, Regina, surprised that her mother would let her go.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mills. We'll be back." Gold said as they entered the elevator once again and headed down to the lobby where they found Jefferson waiting for them.

They went out and got into the car, Regina still feeling a bit awkward hoping neither of them would bring it up...but Maleficent did. "I thought you said you were going to ask her if you could come?"

Regina sighed. "I was...but I chickened out." She admitted.

"And you were gonna pretend that she said no, weren't you?" Gold assumed.

"I didn't think she'd let me go. She probably wouldn't have if I was the one to ask her."

Mal stared at her, thinking about the conversation she and Gold had earlier this morning. Regina noticed and decided to ask a question of her own. "So, you're coming to meet Belle and Lillith?" The young girl asked the wealthy man.

"Belle?" Gold was confused.

"Yes, he is." Maleficent answered for him. "Belle is my roommate." She told him. "And Lillith is Lily. That's just her full name."

"Ahhh." He nodded.

"We're just going to see if I left my wig there yesterday." The blonde began to tell him, realizing for the first time that she hadn't told him why they were going there in the first place.

"I told her she doesn't need the wig, but she didn't listen to me." Regina practically whispered to Gold next to her and she smiled at the woman across from her in the limo.

"I said the same thing." Gold replied, teasing Maleficent as if she weren't there.

"You did?" Regina smiled. "See? I told you." She finally looked back at Mal.

"Yeah. Well, I do." Maleficent answered. "Maybe not for you two, but for someone like me…" She stopped herself from finishing the statement. "I just need it, okay?"

It was silent the rest of the ride to Engelwood and the three got out, leaving Jefferson outside again so they wouldn't have to pay for parking.

"Hey Belle!" Mal yelled through the door when they reached her room.

"What is it now?" Mal's roommate asked through the still closed door.

"Let us in."

Belle sighed through her smile. "What's the password?"

"Uh...I don't know. Just open the door." Maleficent laughed. They waited a second. "There's a wealthy man out here." The blonde smiled, feeling like that should work.

Belle opened the door a hair to see if she was lying or not. When she saw the three of them, she opened the door smiling and Regina didn't recognize her. She wore something like what Maleficent was wearing when they first met and she had on a red wig and probably the highest heels they have ever seen.

"Oh, hi." Mal said when they all walked in. "Lacey."

"Oh, sorry." Belle forgot she was still wearing the wig and she took it off, revealing her long, brown, wavy locks.

"Hello, I'm Belle." She introduced herself to Mr. Gold, who stared at her in awe.

"Uh. Umm…" He couldn't even speak upon seeing her beauty.

"This is Mr. Gold." Mal finished for him. "No one knows his first name." She whispered.

Belle laughed and offered her hand out to shake his. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you." He was finally able to say as he found his voice after shaking her hand.

"And you know Regina." Mal said, gesturing toward the smiling young woman beside her.

"Yes, hello." Belle smiled.

"I'm sorry." Regina chuckled a bit. "I didn't recognize you at first."

"Yeah. When she's working she goes by Lacey." Maleficent said, putting her arm around her best friend.

"And it works." Belle said. "But Mal here, refuses to create an alias."

"Well, what kind of person thinks my real name is an evil, jealous, wretch from a Disney movie anyway? A name that means 'horrible' to be specific...No one. Exactly." Mal laughed and Belle sort of agreed as the two guests chuckled a bit.

"Well, what are you doing here?" Belle finally asked.

"Oh yeah. Did I leave my wig here yesterday?"

"No. You didn't even have it with you when you came in." The shortest adult there answered as her roommate looked around.

"I didn't?" Maleficent wondered.

"No." She answered, noticing that Gold was still staring at her.

"Ugh. I must've left it at one of the shops." Mal really didn't want to go back to any of the shops. She felt as though she had had enough of those prissy bitches to last a lifetime.

"Or maybe you left it at Killian's?" Regina suggested.

"Oh, I hope so." Mal replied. "Where's Lillith?" She asked Belle.

"Oh! I forgot. We're playing hide and seek and I'm supposed to be seeking." Belle said, turning to a whisper.

"Ready or not, here we come!" Lily's mother said, winking at Mr. Gold and Regina.

All four of them began to look around the small apartment. Gold looked around the family room while Maleficent checked her and Lily's bedroom. Belle checked her own bedroom and Regina looked around the kitchen area.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Maleficent said from their room.

"Aha! Gotcha!" The other three adults heard Regina saying from the kitchen as Lily screamed with laughter and the brunette picked her up, tickling her.

"Awww, she found you." Belle smiled when she entered the family room, looking into the kitchen.

Regina walked through the doorway to the living room and joined the others, Lillith still laughing in her arms. "Mr. Gold. This is Lily."

"She's very ticklish, aren't you?" Mal asked and the three year old shook her head no. "No? No, you're not ticklish?" Her mother began tickling her still in Regina's arms to prove to Gold that she WAS ticklish. "Huh? Then why are you laughing?" The blonde laughed along with her daughter. "Why are you laughing?"

"Stop! Stop it, Mama!" Lily tried to say through her laughter.

"You want me to stop?" Mal teased, still tickling her. "I'll stop if you say the magic word." She laughed.

"Pwease, pwease stop!" Lillith giggled.

"Good girl." Mal finally stopped tickling her and Regina was finally able to relax a bit since the dark haired toddler was no longer kicking from laughing so hard. "Lillith, this is Mr. Gold. Say hi."

"Hi!" The little girl said, enthusiastically waving at the man.

"Well, hello. How old are you?" He knew how old she was, but it was always fun to see if little kids knew their own ages, so he asked her anyway. She held up two fingers at first and then quickly added a third. "You're three?" Lily nodded. "Wow. That's old. You're very big." He joked.

"No, I'm not. I'm wittle." Lillith laughed at him.

"Really? Are you sure? Pretty soon you're gonna be just as big and old as your mommy." Maleficent almost slapped him, but she just gave him a look that he recognized as going too far and they all chuckled. "No, you're not. I'm just kidding." He smiled at the girl in Regina's arms. "And your mommy is not old at all."

"Nice save." Belle said sarcastically and he blushed a bit at her smile.

"Well, we have to go, Baby. But I should be back in a few days, okay?" Mal walked closer to Regina and kissed Lily on the stomach. "Okay? You gonna be alright?" Lily nodded and her mother kissed her on the forehead. "I love you." Maleficent held her hand.

"Wuv you, too." Lily pursed her lips and leaned in closer to her mother, asking for a kiss on the lips and Maleficent's heart melted as she granted her daughter's wish and gave her a big, long kiss.

"Mwah! Maybe I'll bring you back something." The blonde offered with a large grin and Lillith got really excited. "Huh. How's that sound?" Mal kissed her one more time and finally let go of her hand. "See you soon, Belle." She and Gold headed for the door.

"Bye bye, Lily." Regina said to the girl in her arms before slowly setting her down.

"You be good, okay?" Mal said as she opened the door, waiting for Regina to follow. Lillith nodded to her mother and the blonde blew her one last kiss before finally stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind her. She held tight to the doorknob for a moment after closing it and Regina saw the brief sadness in her eyes as she looked down to the floor. She lifted her head and forced the pain in her eyes to disappear as she smiled at Regina and they all headed down to Jefferson to go to the hair salon.

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A/N: I know that this one was really long, but I couldn't stop writing. Haha! I hope you're enjoying this story. I know I'm having a great time writing it. Lol Please review! MWAH!


	9. Chapter 9

Chap 9

"Back to cause more trouble?" Killian joked as the two girls entered the salon.

"YOU'RE the trouble maker." Regina laughed when she stepped in.

"That's true." He admitted, winking at Maleficent. "What can I do for you, ladies?"

"Did she leave her wig here yesterday?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. Come closer and I'll tell you." The man with the Irish accent teased. Regina did what he said, just to mess with him and she smiled up at him, waiting for the answer, their stomachs touching. He stared down at her and Mal got a bit uncomfortable watching, expecting something to happen between them. Finally, Killian opened his mouth to answer. "Yes, she did." He laughed as he opened a drawer at his station and took it out before handing it to Regina. "Now, is that the only reason you came back here?" He raised an eyebrow seductively, moving in closer to Regina once more. "Because something tells me that the two of you just couldn't stay away."

"You wish." The young girl backed away from him, laughing. "When will you ever learn?"

"Killian, ever since you two met, you know that girl don't want you. When are you gonna let it go?" Milah, one of the other workers there, laughed.

"Never." He answered honestly. "Because no one turns me down."

"I do." Regina said, moving closer to Mal, the two of them giggling.

"You know. There was a time when you couldn't resist me." Killian smiled.

"Really? I remember there was a time when I did."

Just like yesterday, the whole of the salon was saying, "Ooooooo!"

"Hey, ladies, I've gotta go soon." Gold walked in behind the two and he felt a bit out of place with everyone staring at them when he entered. "Oh, you found it." He said upon seeing the wig in Regina's hand.

"Hello, Darling." The three heard the distained tone in the woman's voice who greeted the man with disgust after she recognized him right away.

Gold looked up at her and instantly retracted, feeling a bit inferior as he put his head down chuckling to himself and saying, "Hello, Milah."

"Surprised to see you out. Don't you have some work to do?" She crossed her arms over her chest at the counter by the entrance to the salon.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a job working for that new boyfriend of yours. What was his name? Uh, Kameron?"

"Killian, and he's not my boyfriend."

"And she doesn't work for me, Lad." Killian jumped in. "I just got her the interview to work here."

"Ahhh. You're Kameron?"

"Killian, actually, but-"

"So, this is what you do? Silly of me to think that he was your boyfriend, Milah."

"Not all men that work in hair salons are gay." Milah frustratedly answered. "And I didn't leave because of him. I left because of you."

"You know what? That's a great idea. Leaving. Girls, let's go, please."

Regina and Maleficent stood by the door, now being the ones who felt out of place as Gold placed both his hands on each of their backs and guided them to the exit. He looked back at Milah once more before finally going out into the street and leading the two into the limo to head back to the hotel.

It was silent in the car for a few minutes before Gold began to apologize. "I'm sorry. That was my ex wife."

"You were married to Milah?" Regina asked, having known Milah for a couple years now.

"Yeah. But I came home one day and she was gone."

"Well, I'm sure she didn't just run off." Maleficent mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"I'm just saying that you must've done something to make her wanna go. That's the problem with men." The blonde's voice got very low and sad for a moment. "They never think that they do anything wrong."

"Well, I'm sorry that I was working. I was working so much to pay the bills, keep her in school for her to leave me when she finished. I'm sorry I did everything wrong." He answered calmly, but with a hint of frustration and sarcasm in his tone.

"Women need more than money. They need someone to be there and actually treat them like they're married. Not a meal ticket. And it is possible to find a way to see your loved ones even if you are working a lot. If I can do it as a single mother who's a hooker with no money, then you can do it as the founder of your own company and your own boss with millions of dollars. I mean, I've only been staying with you for a couple days and I'm already feeling lonely. It's no wonder your wife left you." She paused. "Oh, and did you ever think that the reason she left with him was because he had a job lined up for her after she finished going to school?" There was no answer and she chuckled. "Of course not. You're a man. In the end there's only one thing you care about...yourself."

Regina began to silently cry, a few tears falling from her face. She was thankful that neither of them had realized and luckily the tears dried quickly so she didn't have to wipe them away. They made it back to the hotel and the two women got out. Gold stayed in to go to his meeting. Suddenly, he looked at his watch and realized that it was only about one o'clock and they never went to lunch. He stepped out of the car and pulled Mal to the side to talk to her.

"Listen. I'm sorry about that." Gold apologized.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off like that."

"No. No. You were right. But here," he handed her about sixty bucks, "...it's only 12:50. Take her to get something to eat and make sure she's back around two."

"I thought it was 2:30?" Mal was confused.

"It is 2:30. But I'd rather you have her back earlier than that just so her mother doesn't freak out."

Maleficent smiled and looked down at the money in her hands. "Where should we go to eat?"

"Well, you can go wherever you'd like. You can find a place on this street and walk there or you can go up and ask for room service. It doesn't matter. You can even call a taxi if you want to, as long as you have her back on time."

Mal nodded and he softly kissed her on the cheek before getting back into the limo and leaving. She watched his car go and she sighed, turning around to look at the young girl who stood hugging herself by the entrance to the hotel. The blonde walked over to her. "Where do you want to eat? We can go back up to the room and order room service or we can walk up and down the street til we find something. Or maybe you know of a good place?"

"Let's go up to the room." Regina replied, not feeling up for being around a lot of people right now. "If that's okay with you." She remembered her manners.

"No. Yeah. That's fine." Maleficent smiled at her and they turned to enter the building.

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A/N: Hey. I hope you enjoyed this. We're getting close to my favorite part. Please leave a review. MWAH!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay, so remember last chapter when I said that it was really long...This one's even longer. Lol But I think if you really like this story, then you'll really love this chapter. Please leave a review and share with your DragonQueen friends. ;* Love you, guys. MWAH!

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Chap 10

"So, this is the top floor penthouse, huh?" Regina joked after a few moments inside Mr. Gold's hotel suite with Maleficent.

"It looks just like yours." Maleficent replied, a bit confused, remembering seeing a glance of it when she and Gold knocked on her door this morning.

"I know. I know, I was kidding." Regina smiled.

"Oh." Mal chuckled.

"I've always loved the view from up here." The brunette walked out onto the balcony and she looked out at the skyline.

"Oh yeah. It's nice." Mal said nervously.

"Come out here with me." Regina offered. "You can see how small everyone is below us."

"Uh, no thanks." The blonde was watching the other intently, hoping she wouldn't fall.

Regina looked back inside at Maleficent sitting in a chair by the glass door that led to the balcony. "Why not?"

"I, uh...I don't do heights very well." She put her head down, expecting Regina to laugh.

"You're afraid of heights?"

"I didn't say I was afraid...I said I didn't do them very well." Maleficent corrected, not wanting to sound weak.

"Ah." Regina smiled to herself. She thought for a moment and decided to tease her newly found friend. She smiled at Mal who was looking at the room service menu. "Hey, look at me." Regina waited for Mal to look. "So you're saying that if I started to fall, you wouldn't step out here just to save me?" The blonde gave her a suspicious look. "Look, no hands." Regina teased and she put both hands in the air, waving them around a bit, leaning over the ledge.

"Cut it out." The blonde reprimanded with an annoyed smile on her face and returning her attention back to the menu in her hands.

"Whoa." Regina faked a quiet sound as if she were falling.

"I mean it, cut it out." Mal refused to look up, but she could see in her perefural vision that Regina was perfectly fine.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." The brunette walked back inside, amused at Maleficent's fear.

"So, what do you want? I think I'm gonna have some macaroni and cheese with the mashed potatoes and greens." Mal said at the dining room table.

"I'll have the same." Regina replied upon joining the other woman at the table.

"Okay." Mal got up and walked over to the phone to dial for room service. She made their order and slowly walked back, sitting down at the head of the table as Regina sat at the seat beside hers. "So, how did it REALLY go last night?" She wondered about the 'blind date.'

"What?"

"Oh, come on. I could tell you weren't serious when you said it went well."

"Well...No, actually it was pretty good." Regina answered, and when Mal gave her the 'I-don't-really-believe-you' look, she continued. "Really. David is very charming and he was pretty respectful."

"But?" Mal could hear a 'but' approaching.

"But it was kind of ruined because our mothers both decided it'd be better if they tagged along with us."

"Oh dear, no!" The blonde began to laugh. "That's horrible."

"Yeah. I felt like I was in seventh grade again. Ugh! So humiliating!" Regina chuckled. "But that's my mother."

"Well, his too."

"Well, no. There were times when Ruth tried to leave, but Cora wouldn't let her. I'm positive it was my mother's idea in the first place."

"Oh, man. Of course it was." Maleficent laughed once more. "I'm so sorry about that."

"It's fine." Regina smiled. "I don't really see me marrying him anyway."

"Why not? I thought you said he was-"

"Charming, respectful, nice. Yeah, but I need someone less involved in politics."

"Oooo...politician?"

"Well, he works for his father, but he doesn't really like it. His dad wants him to be governor, or president some day and I could tell that his heart wasn't in it. But his dad is exactly like my mother...there's no getting out of what they want."

"Mmm…" Mal nodded. "I hate politics."

"I mean, I always thought being like, in the Senate, or like a local leader like a mayor would be pretty cool, but I would never go beyond that. They just have too many problems on their hands...and I have my own personal issues to deal with, I can't deal with a whole town or city's as well. Let alone a country."

"Yeah." Mal agreed.

"And, I feel like David is too good for me."

"What do you mean?" It suddenly got deep.

"He's practically perfect and he's never done anything wrong."

"Well, I'm sure he's done something wrong."

"Nuh uh. He's a freaking angel." Regina answered sarcastically and she laughed causing Maleficent to join in. "He's probably still a virgin." Mal almost choked and she cried a few tears from laughing.

"Well, I'm sure you haven't done anything too terrible."

"Huh?"

"Well, you're so sweet and you don't seem like you've done anything that bad either." The older of the two wanted to kick herself for opening her mouth, remembering the conversation she and Gold had this morning.

"Well…" Regina began. "I've made some mistakes." She looked down, as if she were ashamed and she almost began to cry.

Saved by the….knock on the door, Maleficent got up to bring in the tray of food for them. "That was quick." She said to the man bringing it in.

"Yeah. Well, we're supposed to be fast, so we do what we can." He sounded a bit out of breath and Mal gave him a pretty generous tip, feeling sorry for him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Peter." Mal read his name off of his name tag and she smiled at him, closing the door behind him as he left.

She brought the food over to the table and set Regina's plate down in front of her, noticing that she had the same look on her face as before the food came. She felt terrible and she put her own plate down at her seat before setting the empty tray on the counter by the door. She returned and sat down, handing Regina some silverware.

"Is it hard being a single mother?" Regina randomly asked, before picking up her fork and fiddling with her food.

Mal looked at her for a moment before figuring out how to answer. "Well, I'm not really a single mother if you think about it. Belle is a big help and she now goes to preschool, so it's not as hard as it was when she was a newborn. I hardly worked when she was just born, so it was only Belle bringing in some rent money, so that was hard...but it's not as bad now because when she's at school she doesn't need anyone to watch her." She took a bite of mac and cheese.

"But it's Summer right now." Regina said, having a bite of mashed potatoes.

"I don't work much. This is the longest I've been away from her. But Belle and I usually take shifts. We never work at the same time because someone has to be watching her, you know?"

"Well, if you ever need someone to watch her...I can do it." Regina suggested, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Really? Thanks." Mal smiled at her, noticing the depressed look on her face. "I'm sure she'd love that. You were wonderful with her." She continued to take another bite of her food.

Regina sniffled. "I wouldn't say that."

The blonde lifted her head in shock. "What do you mean? You were great. She loved you."

"I don't know. I've never really been that great with kids."

"Are you kidding? You were the only one to notice that her drawings were of dragons. And...she let you pick her up this morning...She never lets anyone pick her up unless she really knows you. Or in your case, likes you. I think you'll be a great mother some day. I really do." She took a sip of her iced tea.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Regina let a tear fall down her cheek. "I was a mother once."

Maleficent dropped her fork. "What?"

"I was gonna name him Henry, after my father."

"What happened?"

"My mother never approved of his father….I should've listened to her."

"Regina…" Maleficent held the young girl's hand on the table.

"I was seventeen when we met. He was nineteen, but he was so nice and he helped me get over my friend when she and I-Well, anyway...We dated for a little bit and things were good at first...but then all of a sudden, he would just get so angry so fast. We got into a lot of fights and one day, I had had enough of his yelling, so I tried to tell him that we were done, for good…" She weakly smiled. "He didn't like that very much." It was silent for a moment while Mal tried to process all this information. "Anyway, I got pregnant and six months later, I found out it was a boy and I was gonna keep him and go to fashion school as a single mom, like you." Regina smiled for only a second, wondering what her life would be like. The smile slowly faded. "But one day, I went into the bathroom, and he was gone...Just like that." It wasn't until Regina finished speaking that she realized Maleficent was squeezing her hand.

"I'm so sorry. Did your mother know-"

"That he raped me? No. She didn't care. She never listened. But my father knew...and that's why he's never treated me the way she does. After the miscarriage, I started to hang out with the wrong people. With other girls that knew how I felt as teenage moms themselves. But it turned out they were the wrong people to seek help from. They hooked me into the partying life. I finished high school, went to college, and partied like crazy. Until one night I drank too much, had all kinds of drugs in me, and a whole group of guys took turns doing whatever they wanted with me. When they were finished, the mixture of drugs and alcohol had rendered me unconscious." She chuckled. "They thought I was dead, so they drove me out into the middle of nowhere and dumped me on the side of the rode. Literally, just threw me out of the car. The doctors said it looked like they didn't even slow down or stop to throw me out." She shook her head. "I still remember waking up in the hospital wondering where the hell I was and why I felt like someone's punching bag. A few days went by in the hospital and my sister flew in from New York. She got me clean and then I finally realized why my mother was always more proud of her than me." She pulled her hand away from Maleficent's and took a bite of her greens. "So, yeah. David's too good for me."

"Regina, that was all in the past. You're a changed person now. If he really is as good as you say, then he won't care. He'll be proud of you for how far you've come now."

"Psshhh...No one's proud of me."

"I am."

Regina was the one to drop her fork this time and her eyes looked right into Maleficent's. They just sat for a moment, staring into each other's eyes and they both weakly smiled. Suddenly, they were startled by the ringing of Regina's cell phone.

She gasped and took it out of her pocket, breaking the eye contact as she did so. "Shit." She answered it and put the phone up to her ear. "Mother, what it is it?...Okay….Yes, mother, I will be home in about twenty minutes…..I promise….I know, I know….Bye." She hung up and Mal got nervous, expecting it to be Cora yelling at her for not being home yet, even though it was only about 1:50. "We don't have to rush anymore." Regina smiled at her plate, confusing Maleficent.

"What?"

"My mother just got invited to a very snooty lunch and she said she won't be back until around 4:30."

"Oh, so she said you can go home later?"

"No. Of course not. I'm just gonna stay here for a few more hours and I'll get back before she does." Regina nonchalantly continued to eat her food and Mal got even more nervous.

"What if she's just testing you?"

"Oh, relax. She wouldn't lie about getting invited to this thing. She's wanted to go for years and this is the first time they asked her to go...Trust me, she's really leaving."

Maleficent loosened up a bit and smiled at the young girl who smiled back at her as they both continued to finish their lunch.

They finished eating around 2:15ish and they sat down in the living room for a bit to talk. "Awww, is this you and Lil?" Regina picked up the photo from the coffee table.

"Oh, yeah. That was when she was about four months old, I think."

"Wow." Regina whispered to herself. "So beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." Maleficent said, assuming she was talking about Lily.

"Can I ask you something? And you can't get all defensive and stuff?" Regina wondered, setting the picture back down.

"Yeah, sure."

"How old are you? I mean, you knew that I was twenty the day we met. It's been three days and I still don't know how old you are."

Mal sighed. "I'm 38."

"You are not." Regina refused to believe it.

"No, really. I am."

"You look amazing."

"No, stop it."

"No, seriously. I'm twenty and I don't have the courage to wear what you were wearing when we first met. You honestly look awesome for your age. I mean...you're almost 40."

"I know, I know. Don't remind me."

Regina smiled at the picture on the table. "I can't wait to get older." She said more to herself than to Mal.

"Oh, yes you can."

"No, I can't. Because then I'll be done with school and I'll be able to get my own place and I won't have to deal with my mother so much."

"Ah. Well, you do have to admit she has a good reason to be so worried about you all the time."

"Yeah. You're right." She thought for a moment. "I still wish she'd let me love who I wanted to love though."

"Like whom?"

Regina hesitated, not wanting to tell her. "Well, there was this guy. Just before college. His name was Daniel and he was my everything. I actually calmed down on partying for a bit when we were together."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were actually engaged for a while."

"Engaged?" Maleficent was shocked and a little impressed. "What happened?"

"Well, as you know my mother...she didn't really approve of him much. She drove him away and he transferred schools to go to Harvard, all the way over in Massachusetts."

"Awww."

"Yeah. But it's fine. I mean, maybe I should just be focusing on school. Hey, maybe I should tell her that to get her off me about David. I'm going to this school for her in the first place."

"Where are you going?"

"UCLA to study law."

"Law? What about studying fashion?"

"Like Cora would ever let me do that. Yeah, I really wanted to go to F.I.T. in New York City, but she wanted me to study something with 'more stability.' Man, sometimes I wish I could show her some 'more stability.'"

Maleficent giggled. "I came here to be an actress."

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah, but that dream never came true."

"What happened?"

"Life happened. You know, there's always someone out there who's better than you."

"Awww. I'm sorry."

"Then I met Belle and she kinda got me into what I do now and, yeah. I got pregnant. I don't even know who Lillith's father is. But it's alright. She doesn't need him."

Regina thought for a moment. "Maybe you should go to New York."

"What? No."

"Yes, yes. I mean, people are bitches here in California. Go to New York City and I'm sure you could find a great acting job there. Or, you could go to Chicago or Canada. I hear Vancouver has a ton of possibilities up there."

"I don't know."

"Come on, you have to. Mr. Gold is paying you good at the end of this week, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then go."

"I don't know. I'm 38. Don't you think that's a little late to start an acting career?"

"It's never too late for anything. Go. Don't limit yourself. Always set your heights a little higher and you'll accomplish a lot."

Regina's excitement made Mal very giddy and she started to dream again. She smiled at Regina and held her hand. "Maybe I will."

"Yes, and Lily would love the snow in any of those places. Kids always love snow."

"I like talking to you." Mal said, not aware that she was even thinking that.

"So do I. It's nice to have someone to just listen." Regina agreed, smiling.

Suddenly, the sun began to shine even brighter than it already was outside and they both turned their attention to look out the large penthouse windows.

"What a nice day." Maleficent exclaimed.

"Yeah. Come on." Regina stood up and grabbed Mal's hand. "You have to come out on the balcony at least for a second."

"I don't know." The blonde nervously said as she was being pulled off the couch. Regina got her to the door that led to the balcony and she stopped, pulling her hand away from Regina's. "I can't do it."

"Oh, yes you can. You have to get over the fear some time." Regina stepped out onto the balcony.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. Just think of it like New York. Or like when you left home and came here. It's the same thing."

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Yes, it is. You have to reach for the stars and you can't do that if you never get high enough." A large gust of wind blew and Regina put her hands up in the air as if she were flying.

Maleficent smiled at her enthusiasm, but still didn't budge. "Yes, I can. I'll just call room service to bring them down for me."

Regina put her arms down and she looked at Mal as if she were being ridiculous and she giggled a bit. "Fine. But you have until the next wind blows and I fall right off this ledge."

"Don't you dare." Maleficent said as Regina jumped up and sat on the ledge that made her a few inches taller than Mal even when she was standing. The blonde nearly had a heart attack. "No! Get down! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Not if you come and save me!"

"You're crazy!" Mal laughed.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Regina leaned back just a tad. "Um...Uh...Uh oh!"

"I'm not falling for that." Mal put her hands on her hips.

"I feel another blow of wind coming." Regina playfully gasped and she leaned back again, this time a little bit more as Maleficent jerked everytime the young girl pretended she was going to fall. "Oh no. Oh no."

"Stop it." Maleficent said. "If you die it's gonna be your fault."

"If I die it'll be because you didn't save me." Regina corrected as she leaned back again. "Oh. Oh. Oh. Here it comes."

Maleficent looked at the leaves on the apple blossom trees on the other balconies around the hotel. The shook just a bit as a new gust of wind was approaching. She looked at Regina leaning back and she held her breath before quickly stepping out onto the balcony and grabbing both of Regina's hands. The twenty year old, who was looking up to the sky, was shocked at the contact and surprised that she actually did it. She looked down at Maleficent standing below her and Mal looked up into the sitting woman's eyes. She slid her hands down Regina's sides, holding her waist and helping her down off the ledge. As Regina got down, she felt her back sliding against the marble stone of the ledge, but she felt as if her feet never touched the ground staring into Mal's eyes and feeling her hands still around her waist. The brunette found herself holding the other woman's shoulders as support when she got down, but surprisingly, she never let go. Maleficent forgot that she was on the balcony for a moment until the new gust of wind finally came.

She quickly let go of Regina and stepped back inside, as the young girl felt the warmth in her cheeks. She put a hand up in her hair as she looked down at the ground and cleared her throat before joining Mal back inside.

"You did it." Regina said slowly, as Maleficent kept her back to the twenty year old. The younger of the two walked around the other woman to look into her eyes again. Suddenly, she remembered what the blonde had said to her at the table earlier and something urged her to say it back. "I'm proud of you."

They let it happen. Neither of them wanted to, but they were too weak to stop it. The second Regina said those four words, they kissed and they each knew that they were getting into a lot of trouble falling in love.

Feeling the soft, lingering touch of Maleficent's lips, Regina's heart beat increased. Maleficent felt dizzy and she had no idea what was happening until the younger woman broke the kiss. "Shit." Regina said, stepping away from Mal and looking at the floor. "Shit!" She repeated louder, this time grabbing her head with both hands.

Maleficent watched her walk away as she held onto her own lips, tears filling her eyes. She had never thought of herself loving another woman before. Never in a million years did she see it coming. Even in her "line of work," she had never felt this terrified or inexperienced before. She didn't know what to do, had no clue how to process her feelings. The only thing she felt right now was electricity floating through her body. It caused a pain in her heart, yet she liked it. She desired more. Suddenly, she was snapped out of her daze as she realized Regina was about to explode and she was about to leave. "Wait. Regina, wait!"

"I can't." It was then that Mal realized Regina was bawling. "I have to go. This-" The brunette sobbed. "I'm-I'm sorry."

Maleficent jumped when the door shut and she grabbed the chair closest to her in the dining room before sliding down into it. She hugged herself, feeling the long lasting butterflies in her stomach and the terrible pain in her chest that lingered. Her breaths became short and heavy as she found it difficult to breathe. _What was happening?_ She couldn't believe what she was feeling nor what she was thinking. Seeing how hard Regina took it horrified her even more and she closed her eyes, remembering the sensation during the kiss. She thought once more of exactly how it happened and suddenly, her eyes quickly shot open as she replayed Regina's reaction over and over again. " _Shit!"_ she heard her saying. She closed her eyes once more and this time, she cried, still hugging herself and she was sure her breathing had stopped.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you to all of my followers. I hope you liked reading the last chapter as much as I liked writing it. It was my favorite chapter out of all of them [so far anyway lol]. I just thought it was so ironic to have Maleficent be afraid of heights in this because she's a dragon who flies in OUAT. Lol And then, you know, Lily likes dragons haha. Please let me know what you think after this chapter. Love you guys!

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Chap 11

Mr. Gold was shocked to see Maleficent fast asleep at the dining room table when he returned from his business meeting. It was only five o'clock and it didn't look like such a comfortable position to fall asleep in. He quietly walked up beside her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, taking a second to realize where she was and when she remembered, the pain returned in her chest. She had hoped it was just a dream, but it wasn't and she wanted it to be. "What are you doing sleeping at the table?" He asked with a small grin on his face.

"I don't know." She lied, pain in her voice. She finally sat up all the way and he was able to see the swollen, red eyes.

He sat down in the chair beside her and grabbed her hand. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing. Why?"

"You've been crying."

"Oh, no." She faked a smile.

"Why are your eyes so red?"

"I just woke up." She tried to giggle. "Anyway," she stood up and began to head to the bedroom, "...I should change for your business supper tonight." She closed the door and he was not too convinced, but he stayed at the table, looking through some emails on his phone.

About twenty minutes went by and he noticed the plates and silverware from the girls' lunch were still there and he decided to call room service to come pick it up. He walked into the family room and picked up the phone. He was about to start dialing when he heard some voices, which he assumed were coming from the phone. He put it up to his ear and heard the end of a conversation that Mal was having from the phone in the hotel bedroom.

"Can we at least talk about it?" He could tell that voice was Maleficent.

"No. I'm sorry. We can't see each other again." He wasn't sure whose voice that was.

"Regina, please-"

"I'm sorry."

Gold heard the girl on the other end hang up the phone as well as a few light sobs from Mal who was holding the phone up to her ear still. He waited a few more seconds and he finally heard her put the phone back on the hook. He had no idea what happened, but he assumed it had something to do with Cora, or the fact that Maleficent was a prostitute that Regina may not be able to see her again. He felt horrible for her as he also wondered how Mal knew Regina's phone number. " _Oh, wait! Maybe she called her hotel room."_ He thought to himself, wondering why that was relevant right now. He shook his head, snapping himself out of it and he continued to call room service.

After he hang up with room service, he went and knocked on the bedroom door.

"I'll be just a minute." He heard Mal's voice crack through the door.

Gold ignored the time on the clock and he ignored her remark as he slowly opened the door. Maleficent looked gorgeous in a fitting, red gown with bright gold sequins that went all the way to the floor and had a bit of a train in the back. Her hair was wavy and pinned to the side. But her tears saddened the dress and her golden heels. His posture softened a little as he saw her looking down at her own hands, sitting on the bed. He sat down next to her but didn't say a word. It was silent for a while and finally, she spoke.

"Have you ever been ashamed of yourself?"

"Sure. A few times, yes." He answered softly.

She laughed a little through the tears. "It's funny. You'd think a failed actress, who left home and became a prostitutional, single mother, who doesn't even know who the father of her child is, by the way, would have felt ashamed of herself many many times. And I thought so too, but for some reason, it wasn't til now that I've felt this scared of myself. Ever."

"Scared? Or ashamed?"

She sniffled. "I don't know. Both? I just-I don't know what to do here. Most of my life I've had answers...and for once, I'm stumped."

"What's going on? Did something happen after I left? Was it Cora?"

Mal snapped her head to turn and look at him. "Was it Cora? I don't know what you're-" She shook her head, confused.

"I heard you on the phone with Regina." He hated having to admit it.

Hearing her name was like a knife to the heart and Mal let out a loud breath of air. "No. It wasn't Cora. It was me." She felt alone in this and she now wished that she hadn't leaned in for that kiss. "I think I scared her." She didn't want to tell him, she didn't want to tell anyone, but she could tell him that she thought she scared her.

"How?"

"We should get going to dinner. We're gonna be late." She stood up, quickly changing the subject and leaving the room.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

"Regina? Regina, Darling. We should get going to dinner." Cora yelled through her daughter's door.

"I don't feel too well, Mother. I don't think I should go." Regina yelled back from inside the bathroom in her hotel bedroom.

Mrs. Mills opened the door and didn't see Regina in there. "What's the matter, Dear? Stomach ache?" Cora said a bit louder so she could hear her from in the bathroom.

"Yeah." Regina lied.

"What did you eat with Mr. Gold?"

"Just some mac and cheese."

"Well, just call the hotel restaurant if you need anything. Your father and I are hoping to close this deal tonight and maybe we can go home sooner than we planned."

 _What? No._ Regina thought to herself, not wanting to leave the hotel. "What about Zelena? She's supposed to be coming in tomorrow?"

"Well, maybe we'll stay for another day and then we're going back home. But like I said, it's only if we can close the deal tonight. Alright, Dear?"

"Okay, Mama."

"Get better, hon. We should be back around 11."

Cora finally left and Regina came out of the bathroom and sat at the bed. She held onto the picture of Lily and Maleficent that she had sneaked out of the apartment this afternoon and she cried looking at it. "Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" She whispered. She let tears fall and she laid down, hugging the picture to her chest and crying herself to sleep.

The young girl startled awake about three hours later when she heard a knock on the hotel room door. She lay still on her bed, refusing to get up to answer it. There was another knock...and another. Suddenly she remembered that David was supposed to come see her for a bit and she got up. Her head began to spin when she realized that she stood up too fast and she weakly walked out into the family room and opened the hotel room door.

"David, hi."

"Hello." He held a bouquet of flowers in his hand and he brightly smiled, offering them to her.

"Oh, wow. I love lilies. Thank you so much." She took them and smelled them. "I'm just gonna put them in some water." She turned around and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from one of the hotel cupboards and pouring some water into it, setting the bouquet in the cup.

"So, this is what the penthouses look like here?" He stepped in, looking around a bit and she returned to the family room where he stood. "It's nice. I've never stayed here before. And your family and the guy above you took the only two penthouses by the time our family got here." He smiled down at her when she stepped close to him. "So, you like lilies, huh?"

"I do." She grinned up at him. He was not expecting it, but she kissed him and he wasn't sure how he felt for he only knew her for a day, but he hardly did anything to resist, being such a charming man. Suddenly, he tasted her tears and it egged him on to kiss her more. He grabbed her waist, feeling her petite body in his hands and she cupped his face, forcing herself to feel the way she did this afternoon.

"Regina?"

The kiss stopped and the two turned to look at the woman who stood in the doorway. David never closed the door and Maleficent had come up to see if Regina would talk to her, but now she got her answer. She had expected to turn and run, but she just stood there and stared. David, still holding her to his body and Regina, still cupping his face.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked, trying her hardest to keep her anger to herself. "I thought you had the dinner with Mr. Gold and my parents."

"I did. But now they're just talking business and they excused me from the table, what-"

Finally, Regina noticed that she and David were still holding each other and she let go of him, he followed soon after, letting her go and she stepped away from him. "This is David. David, this is Maleficent."

"Maleficent?" He smiled, stepping close to shake her hand. "Like the dragon?"

She shook his hand and nodded. "Obsessed mother." She didn't mean to answer so rudely, but she returned her attention to Regina and the young girl put her hands on her hips and looked down at the floor. "Regina, can we talk?"

"When?"

"Uh, now." Mal answered as if it were pretty obvious when.

"Um. No. I'm kinda busy here." Regina was just as rude.

"I can leave you two alone." David said happily. "Why don't we see each other tomorrow?"

"But, I-" Regina tried to protest but he moved in and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's okay." He said and he smiled at the blonde while stepping passed her. "It was nice to meet you."

She smiled back but didn't say anything. When he was gone, she closed the door and Regina glared at her. "Are you kidding me? I thought I said-"

Maleficent interrupted honestly. "Oh yeah. He's real charming."

"Mal. I can't do this!"

That was the first time Regina had ever called her 'Mal' and her heart jumped. "What happened this afternoon?"

"Nothing happened."

"What do you mean nothing happened?" The blonde asked angrily.

"Well, obviously something happened, but I mean that it meant nothing." Regina said.

"That is a fucking lie if I have ever heard one."

"Excuse me!" They began to raise their voices.

"Three days, Regina. Three days and I already know when you're lying. And that right there was a lie!"

"It was not!"

"Yes, it was. Now, I asked you over the phone to tell me how you felt about it and you wouldn't say anything. I just need a yes or no. Did it mean something to you?"

"No." The girl answered immediately. "There, are you happy now?"

"That's a lie!" Mal could tell.

"No, it's not!" The younger one argued.

"Yes, it is. And do you know how I know, besides your tell?"

"How?" Regina crossed her arms.

"You kissed me back."

"I didn't." Regina said softly.

"You did."

"I didn't."

"Yes, you did. Why won't you admit it?" Mal suddenly realized she was yelling and she paused and softened her voice. "I'm scared."

"What?" Regina asked.

"I am. I'm scared and you won't tell me what's going on."

"What do you want me to say?" Regina asked frustratedly.

"Tell me I'm not alone in this!" Maleficent looked down at the ground. "It's not okay. Ever since this afternoon, I haven't been able to breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating and you," she thought of the balcony, "...you won't save me." Regina turned around so Mal couldn't see the tears in her eyes. "Just, why won't you tell me the truth? Why can't you tell me that you're starting to feel things that are scaring you? You're not alone. No one's here to judge you. Right now, I'm the only one being judged and we can get through it together...Why do you keep sabotaging your own chances at being happy? Just...tell me the truth." She waited for a moment and Regina still didn't turn around. "I know it doesn't feel right to want a girl, but-"

"That's not it." Regina finally said, very quietly.

"What?"

The brunette turned around. "That's not why I can't-" She looked down at her hands for a moment and then back up to Mal and she sighed before she began, "It was my junior year of high school…"

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" _Don't these look hot on me?" Emma Swan asked her still shaking best friend about the brown, leather boots that went up to her knees._

" _I guess." Seventeen year old Regina Mills answered as she finished putting on the pair of silver heels._

" _Are you still only on your first pair? Come on, I've tried on like seven now."_

" _I know, I know. It's just-"_

" _You still think we're gonna get caught." Emma finished with an annoyed tone._

" _No. I just feel guilty about stealing."_

" _You don't have to feel guilty...because no one's gonna know." Emma winked at her. "Now, grab some more and let's get out of here."_

 _Regina stood up and looked at herself in the full body mirror, admiring the heels on her own feet. She smiled and looked at a few more pairs, still hesitant about taking more._

" _Fuck!" Emma whispered. "Regina, hide!" The blonde said from behind a rack of clothes._

" _What?" Regina turned around and saw the cop car outside too late._

" _Hey!" The big man yelled, shining his flashlight into the big windows of the store._

" _Regina, this way!" Emma said, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her to a back door of the shop. Regina dropped all the boxes she held in her hands._

" _Stop!" They heard the officer yell as he ran around the building and they fled the scene, him following._

 _Regina rolled her ankle and fell. "Get up!" Emma yelled._

" _It's not easy to run in high heels!" The brunette screamed back._

" _Well, maybe you should've thought of that before only stealing high heels!"_

 _Emma finally got Regina back up on her feet and the rich girl rolled her eyes at her friend running in new, stolen combat boots. "Says the one who told me that we weren't going to be caught." Regina limped after her friend._

" _Wait!" Emma exclaimed, turning down a dark alley. She pulled Regina with her and they hid behind a narrow doorway as the cop ran passed them and they peaked their heads out to see him continue on, getting farther and farther from them. "Phew! That was close." Emma whispered. The blonde brought her head back to hide from being seen if the officer were to look back and Regina did the same thing. "Very close." Emma said a bit out of breath, staring at her friend's lips when she noticed their bodies touching in the small space. Suddenly, Regina also noticed the contact. "How's your ankle?" Emma asked quietly._

" _It's fine." Regina found hard to say for some reason._

" _Good." Emma said slowly. "I'm sorry."_

" _For what?"_

" _For almost getting us caught."_

 _Regina smiled. "It's okay. It was exciting."_

 _Emma smiled back and they looked into eachother's eyes, both thinking the same thing...they wanted to kiss. It was Regina who moved in slowly and Emma replied by moving in as well and the soft kiss was awkward at first...but suddenly it got better as Regina stepped in closer and Emma wrapped her arms around her best friend. Regina smiled through the kiss, positive that she was the happiest girl in the world. Emma began to cry tears of joy, feeling the strangeness of falling in love with your best friend, no matter what gender you were, or how much money you had, or who your parents were. This was the first person to ever show such affection to young Miss Swan and she too, thought that she was the happiest girl in the world, unaware that her new girlfriend felt the same way._

 _% &%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&_

"We were completely in love. But that wasn't the only time we got into some trouble. We were finally caught one night and my mother bailed me out of juvie, leaving her in there. I cried every night when she wouldn't let me visit or tell me why we couldn't help her out as well. And finally one day, during one of my crying fits, my mother told me why she wouldn't help Emma. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was an orphan or that she had gotten me into trouble, but it had everything to do with the fact that my mother read my diary and she wouldn't have any daughter of hers as a queer. Her exact words." Maleficent was shocked at all of the complicated things that have happened to Regina. And in only twenty years of being alive. "So, you see? This can't happen not because I don't feel the same way you do, but because I don't know what my mother would do. Especially knowing who you are, she'll find a way to separate us."

Maleficent looked down as she brought her hands up to her hips. "So you do?"

Regina wiped away a lonely tear. "What?"

"Do you feel the same way?" Mal looked back up to her.

Regina leaned against the wall closest to her with her arms crossed over her chest. "I don't know. How do you feel?"

"I-" The blonde didn't know what to say exactly. "I don't know." She looked back down at the floor. "I'd like to try." She admitted.

"Really?"

"I don't know. This is new to me, but I know that I don't wanna stop seeing you after today, even as friends."

Suddenly, Regina remembered that her mother said that they might be leaving in a couple of days. She pinched the bridge of her nose and chuckled. "Everything is just so complicated."

"Relationships always are." The older woman looked at the girl leaning against the wall and she waited for an answer. "Well, how do YOU feel?"

The twenty year old let go of her nose and looked up to the blonde as she stepped away from the wall a bit. "I-" She didn't want to lie to her again, now knowing that she could tell if she was lying anyways. "I'd like to try too." She began to walk over to Mal and stopped a few feet from her. Maleficent smiled, feeling the same pain in her chest as earlier. "But...I'm sorry. I can't." Regina looked down at the floor and closed her eyes. "You should leave."

Mal retracted, feeling as though someone had knocked the wind out of her, finding it hard to breathe for a second. "Regina."

"I'm sorry." The brunette started to cry and she began to walk away from Maleficent.

"Regina." The older woman grabbed her hand as she tried to leave and she pulled her back for another kiss. It started out slow and gentle, but once the blonde felt the butterflies and fear multiplying, she heightened it, the kiss becoming more and more passionate as the tears ran down Regina's cheeks and landed on Mal's. Regina knew she shouldn't let herself go, but she couldn't stop, especially feeling Maleficent's hands warming her back and holding her close to her, refusing her to walk away. Their breathing increased and Regina's sobs became more audible, until finally they broke the kiss, pressing their foreheads together. Mal slowly opened her eyes and looked into Regina's. "I'm scared."

There was a silence in the room for a moment as Regina was finally able to stop herself from crying. They kept their heads together and the younger of the two slowly smiled, ignoring every opposing thought in her mind. "Don't be."

Shocked at the sudden change, Maleficent's mouth curled into a large grin and they slammed their lips together, forgetting about their bodies overheating from the lack of space between them.

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. (Just in case anyone doesn't know "juvie" is jail for kids under 18). Oh, and I'm really sorry for some of the bad language, but it was hard not to put it in considering the situations and stuff. Please review! Mwah!


	12. Chapter 12

Chap 12

 _When two people fall in love, it's the hardest thing to keep from each other. People hide behind their physical actions, but no one can hide behind their eyes. The truth is always seen in their eyes and the eyes are the best place to find a person in love. Many people are terrified of falling in love. It can even be their greatest fear, especially when they haven't been loved in return. But the thing is...love IS a fear. It is a fear of losing someone you hold very dear. Saying "I love you" is like saying "I need you here with me at all costs. Through every pain and happiness I experience, I need you to be here with me." Love is a fear...Fear has no age, no race, no religion, no gender. Fear is fear. And love is love._

* * *

They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, ignoring everything that could possibly go wrong. Maleficent's hands fell limp on Regina's back as her nerves made them weak. The brunette could feel her love shaking in her arms. She tried to think of a way to calm her, coming up with a solution that she remembered helped her as an innocent teen. She softened the once-intense kiss, just grazing her woman's lips as she ever so slowly reached her hands up to Mal's neck and into her hair, finally bringing her slender fingers to the blonde's face. She pulled her own head back a bit to look into the 38 year old's eyes. One of Mal's hands unintentionally found its way up to her own face, holding tightly to Regina's left hand.

The Mills daughter squeezed it and gently smiled at her, their noses touching. "Still nervous?" She whispered, knowing the answer herself as she felt Maleficent's body still shaking. Mal nodded and the young girl's smile widened as she closed her eyes and softly placed a kiss on the tip of the blonde's nose. "Relax." Regina let out in a soft, slow whisper. She slowly slid her right hand down Mal's shoulder, causing goosebumps to rise on the golden skin of the older woman. Finally, it reached her arm and found its way to Maleficent's other hand down at her side, squeezing it hard. But just for a second as it let go and moved to the blonde's hip, lightly rubbing the surface and sneaking under the white blouse that complimented Maleficent's figure.

"Wait! Stop." Mal quickly protested with her eyes closed, bringing her hand over to grasp Regina's and stopping her from going any further, even though a low moan rose in her throat. She brought her head down in fear, her curly waves of hair just touching Regina's eyelids. "Stop. I can't." Her head rested down on Regina's shoulder for a moment and when she lifted it, she finally opened her eyes to look back into the confused, glossy, brown orbs. "I don't know how-" She couldn't find the words to explain to Regina that she had never done this with a female before.

She didn't have to. Regina understood by the look in her eyes and the way she held her hand. "It's okay." She whispered, feeling strange to be the one with the most experience in a room with a prostitute. She briefly thought of her times with Emma and how they too first never understood what they were doing either, but in this case, Maleficent was in luck for she had someone who knew. "I can show you." She closed her eyes and put her left hand under Mal's chin, touching her own nose to hers for comfort. When her eyes opened again, they were filled with compassion and encouragement, telling the blonde to trust her.

Suddenly, Regina freed her right hand from Mal's tight grip and she moved it back to the soft, warm skin under her blouse, slowly moving it towards the older woman's belly button and eventually holding onto the waistband of the gray trousers. Regina began to step forward, lazily guiding Maleficent to the wall behind her and forcing her to lean against it, not taking her eyes off of the blonde's the entire time.

Once Mal reached the ivory painted wall, she let out a shaky breath of air, feeling the nerves creep up on her yet again as she looked down to see Regina readjust her hand, the palm of it cupping the area of the stomach just beneath the belly button and just behind her pants. Maleficent looked up again, this time so she could see the top corner of the wall across from her. She blinked slowly, whimpering when her eyes shot open, feeling Regina's fingers begin to slither down further and further, her area leisurely growing wet for her.

Regina never took her eyes off of the sight in front of her. She watched Mal squirm as she teased her clit and carefully slid her fingers inside of her, wondering what the nervous woman might be thinking now. After staring at her, wondering for a moment, Regina finally leaned in and began tracing soft kisses on the taller woman's neck, her fingers still taking too long to fully please the blonde for she was waiting for the perfect moment.

The brunette's kisses stopped and she pulled her head back and took her hand out of Maleficent's pants to unbutton the blouse that became an obstacle for her kissing. Once she finished unbuttoning the last button, she opened the shirt to expose the smooth skin and she leaned up to kiss Mal on the mouth one more time before putting her whole forefinger into her own mouth, tasting the woman on it. The blonde watched her, all nerves finally passed and new sensations radiating throughout her body. The second Regina's finger was free from her mouth, Mal slammed her own into the young woman's tasting her own juices on the brunette's lips.

The older woman brought her hands up to Regina's breasts and the younger one of the two stopped her. She forcefully took both hands and pushed them against the wall well above her own head as well as Maleficent's. The side of her own face touched the side of Mal's, her mouth close to her ear. "Ah. Ah. Ah. You'll get your turn later." The brunette whispered, Maleficent driven crazy by the hot wind of her breath against her hair. Regina pulled her head back once again and wickedly smiled at the pinned woman. The look she gave her demanded that she keep her hands to herself and Maleficent obeyed as the woman slowly slid small kisses down her neck and onto her collar bone, eventually reaching her cleavage.

The blonde was aching for her to take off the constricting black bra she wore underneath the open blouse, but she decided to obey the youngster's orders as she kept her arms above her own head. Regina tugged at one side of the blouse for easy access to her shoulder as she bit it, causing another whimper to escape Mal's lips. The one currently in control smiled at the sound and gently kissed the place where she had just bitten. She then moved to kiss Maleficent's side and slowly moved to her ribs before ending at the area just above the navel. She stuck her tongue out, sliding it down to the waistband of Mal's pants, which she now believed just had to come off.

Maleficent, hands still above her head, looked down at the girl as her hands grabbed her hips and eventually held onto the woman's pants, but before she began to pull them down, Regina bit the front of her pants and used her teeth to pull them down as well. Something she knew she didn't need to do, but she looked right up into Mal's eyes as she did so and by the weak expression on the blonde's face, she could tell that she just simply had to do it.

Finally free of her pants, Maleficent felt a cold chill and it only grew as Regina's warm hands barely grazed her calves and she kissed the inside of her thigh before pushing the black, laced underwear aside. She moved in to suck on her clit, but she stopped and looked back up at her, feeling her legs growing weak in her hands. The blonde looked at the woman on her knees and saw her curl her finger towards herself, ordering her to sink down onto the floor. Mal obeyed and she sat down, her back still against the wall and her knees up to her chest.

Regina agonizingly took her sweet time when taking off the simple black heels Mal wore. She kissed her feet before running her hands up her shins, across her knees, and down her thighs to remove the laced black panties. Maleficent helped kick them off and she brought her arms down to her chest, hugging herself and wondering what this might be like. When she was finally underwear free, Regina put her hands on the blonde's knees once more. She lovingly looked into Maleficent's eyes, but with a serious and concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?" She finally asked in her normal tone of voice.

Mal closed her eyes with a small smile on her lips and she tilted her head to the side, nodding just a bit. Regina leaned in to give her the lightest kiss possible and she moved back, her hands pushing Maleficent's legs open. She, again, took her time before hitting the spot and Mal's mouth opened as she scrunched her eyes tightly closed, still hugging herself at first, but eventually moving her hands to rest on her own thighs. Trying her best to obey Regina's request of keeping her hands to herself, she left deep scratches on her own legs. Her body still shook, only now it was not from the fear, it was from the sensations tingling through her body.

Regina had one finger inside her as she sucked at her clit. She added another finger...and another. Finally, Maleficent's first moan came and her eyes shot open. She tried her best not to scream as she clenched her teeth together and eventually bit her own bottom lip. "You've...you've really had...had lots of practice, ha...haven't yo-" She couldn't finish as she moaned and hit her own head back against the wall behind her.

Regina smiled though she never stopped, noticing the violent shakes coming from the blonde as she knew she was nearing the edge. The woman's moans began to drive Regina crazy as she felt herself growing wet under her nightgown and bathrobe. She increased the speed of her fingers pumping and she sucked harder and harder, hoping that soon, the woman would come and she'd finally get to hear her scream.

The older woman couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her hands down on the floor, tightly gripping the carpet, sure she was ruining it. But she didn't care. "I l-love yo-you." She forced out, causing Regina to suck even harder than before and a tear rolled down Maleficent's cheek. She had no idea why she began to cry, or why she even said that, but it just came, as did she. She finally screamed, giving Regina just as much pleasure. To Maleficent's surprise, Regina swallowed almost every bit of it and as she kept her fingers inside her to bring her down from her high, she wiped her mouth with her left hand and leaned in to give Mal a sloppy, but passionate kiss.

The older of the two breathed heavily as her walls closed around Regina's fingers the last few pumps and she opened her mouth, loving their tongues intertwining. Finally, Regina was able to remove her fingers and she moved to straddle Maleficent, bringing her fingers up to her mouth. But before she could lick her own fingers, she saw that Mal stared at them, causing another burning sensation in Regina's private place. She smiled, offering her fingers to the blonde who gladly opened her mouth to suck on her own juices as she stared into the young girl's eyes.

Just that feeling alone, of Mal's mouth on her fingers, produced a sound to come from Regina's lips. She closed her eyes, unable to stare into the hungry blue orbs of Maleficent's anymore while she tasted herself on her messy digits.

Maleficent couldn't take it any longer. She had to touch her now. Both her hands reached up to grab Regina's and she pulled the brunette's hand out of her own mouth, leading them to feel under the fabric of her bra. Just touching Mal's nipple caused her own to harden and the older woman used her left hand to forcefully pull Regina's head closer to her own in order to plant another out of control kiss on her plump, luscious lips.

It wasn't until now that Regina had noticed the tears on her woman's cheeks and she opened her eyes, quickly thinking of something to make her laugh. "So how much would this cost?" She asked in a husky, low voice, joking about the woman's profession.

"Hmm…" Mal smiled up at her. "Come here and I'll tell you." She curled one of her fingers toward herself, suggesting that Regina continue to kiss her. The brunette smiled and did so. "Okay." Maleficent said when they broke the kiss. "My turn."

Regina looked down at her, at first confused, then suddenly impressed, and finally, turned on by the sudden confidence that was stirred up in this woman. The younger of the two felt a bit cocky herself, not realizing that she could bring out such a contradicting side to someone so quickly. She smiled and once Mal noticed that she had caught her off guard, she grabbed the young girl's shoulders roughly and pushed her up, almost holding all of her weight and she maneuvered herself in order to force Regina onto her back, still straddling the blonde. She wrapped her legs around the older woman and a wide grin was plastered on her face at her sudden attitude. She was finally starting to believe that this woman was a prostitute again, especially when Maleficent finally took off her blouse hovering over her. _It was definitely too hot now to be wearing long sleeves_ , she thought. _What's the point in wearing a bra anymore? I'm pretty much already naked now_ , she decided, unclasping the back of her undergarment and throwing it to the side with the rest of her clothes.

At first, Regina couldn't move as she stared at the woman's breasts above her. She admired the slightly wet (from sweat) blonde curls of the woman's hair, reminding her a bit of her first love, Emma. She absolutely adored the butterflies in her stomach with every bat of Maleficent's long, intoxicating eyelashes. She herself was now sweating underneath the two layers of clothing she wore. The fuzzy bathrobe definitely had to go.

She began to untie the knot in the front, but Mal gently slapped at her hand. "Nuh. Uh. Uh." The blonde smiled down at her. "If I had to keep my hands to myself, then so do you." Regina impressively smiled up at the feisty woman as she slowly untied the robe herself. The brunette's hands rested at her sides on the floor. "Good girl." Maleficent cooed before finally finishing the untying process and helping Regina to remove it from her body completely. The blonde gazed down at the powder pink nightie the young girl was wearing and she raised an eyebrow at the twenty year old, suspicious as to the reason she wore it. She'd hoped it wasn't for that David, but she ignored it for now and teased Regina by pulling down one of her straps and sucking at her shoulder.

Regina closed her eyes and softly hummed, anticipating a small bite like the one she had given her earlier, but it never came as Mal slid her kisses along Regina's neck and moving them to her jawline before finally reaching her mouth, but stopping just before she did so. She hovered over Regina and looked down at her, admiring her gorgeousness and beauty as she smiled with her eyes still closed. She slowly brought a hand up and grazed her face with the back of her hand, feeling the softness and flawlessness of her entire being. Regina opened her eyes and looked up at the woman, sparks flying as they stared into each other's eyes just for a moment, all joking aside for now. Mal sighed, wondering how she'd ever get here, and knowing how wrong it seemed, but unable to stop herself from falling in love with her for the second time that day.

This caused her to tear up again and she bent over to kiss Regina, who sat up in order to meet her halfway. They were upright just enough so Mal could reach her hands down and pull Regina's nightgown over her head, leaving them both naked and feeling each other's skin against the other's. The tear that landed on Regina's bare chest forced her to stop the kissing just for a second. She brought her head back a bit to look into Mal's eyes and she saw all the pain from her lifestyle and how much this frightened her. She needed to take it all away. She held her chin in one hand and wiped away another tear with her thumb. Her other hand found its way up to brush a stray hair behind the blonde's ear and back to her cheek. She looked so very deeply into Mal's piercing eyes before saying what she needed to hear, nay what SHE needed to say. "Maleficent," her heart stopped for a second, "I love you."

A small, broken sob escaped Mal's lips but she smiled as she brought one of her own hands up to cup Regina's face as well. They leaned their foreheads together and just sat there for a moment, embracing it before Regina laid back down and Mal finished what she'd started, only with more love and more feeling than they had intended.

* * *

A/N: So, I really hope I did okay with this chapter. It was my first EVER femslash smut to write and it took six and a half hours to write and about three to just run it through my head. Please let me know how I did. I hope you enjoyed it and don't be shy to tell me what I can work on. Thank you so much. Mwah!


	13. Chapter 13

Chap 13

Regina was in the shower, not exactly washing herself as she just stood underneath the steaming liquid, hugging herself and grinning like a smitten teen. She ran her fingers through her soaking, long, dark hair and she slowly turned around, looking up and closing her eyes to let the water run down her face. She hugged herself again, still smiling, as she slid her own hands down her shoulders, remembering Maleficent's touch. Her parents would be back to the hotel any minute now after their business supper, and she grinned again, remembering how she and Mal left things.

" _I wish you could stay the night." Regina said, fidgeting with the blonde's fingers in her own as they cuddled on the floor of the hotel room._

" _I know." Maleficent smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "How are we gonna do this?" She wondered, knowing that they couldn't sneak into each other's hotel rooms every night for the Mills' and Mr. Gold would be there at least some days._

" _I don't know." Regina said, suddenly remembering that her mother said they might be leaving soon. She didn't want to tell Mal, it'd be too painful. "We could run away." She looked up into the blonde's eyes._

" _What?" The older of the two chuckled._

" _We should do it. We can pack, go get Lily, and just leave." Regina squeezed Mal's hand._

" _Maybe." Maleficent replied, not too convincingly. Regina leaned up and kissed her before laying her head back on her chest and closing her eyes with a wide smile. She hummed a bit before shivering and Mal noticed. "Alright, let's get some clothes back on you." Mal began to move, but Regina protested._

" _No, no. Not yet."_

" _You're freezing." Maleficent admired her stubbornness._

" _But you're keeping me warm." Regina answered with her eyes still closed._

 _Mal couldn't help but smile, even though she still thought differently. "Come on." She gently patted one of Regina's arms, beginning to sit up. "I should probably get back anyway in case Mr. Gold finds out."_

 _Regina let out a disappointed groan, but she obeyed with a grin on her lips. She bent over to pick up her bathrobe and nightie and she slipped them over her head with grace. She looked over at Maleficent who had her underwear back on and was trying to clasp her bra in the back. "Here. Let me." Regina walked over slowly and she took the back of the undergarment in her hands, her fingers slightly grazing Mal's as she did so. The blonde couldn't help but shiver when she felt the contact and she waited until Regina finished clasping the brassiere before turning around and bringing her hands up to the young girl's face. She looked down at her and lovingly smiled before slowly leaning in for a gentle kiss. Regina grinned up at her and blushed before looking down at her feet as if she were shy. "Stop that." The brunette whispered._

" _Stop what?" Maleficent wondered._

" _Looking at me like that." Regina answered, still looking at the floor._

" _I'm sorry. I can't help it." Maleficent replied honestly, causing a petite giggle to come from Regina's lips. The blonde lovingly gazed at her again and she used her left hand to lift Regina's chin, forcing her to look at her. Regina was waiting for her to say something, but all she did was smile before letting go and turning around to finish picking up her clothes and putting them on._

 _They walked to the door of the hotel room and Maleficent turned around to kiss her once more before opening it. "Thank you." The blonde said as she stood just out in the hallway._

" _For what?"_

 _Mal didn't exactly know the answer to that question herself, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind. "Everything." She started to walk backwards toward the elevator._

" _Will we see each other tomorrow?" Regina wondered._

 _The older woman winked as the elevator doors opened. "I hope so."_

 _Regina watched her go in and before the doors closed, the blonde blew her a kiss and she replied with one as well. She watched the floor numbers above the elevator change to the top floor and she lightly grinned before finally returning inside and closing the door._

"Regina, Dear?" She heard her mother's voice in her room. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Mother." She answered, a little too excitedly.

"We brought you back some dessert."

"Thank you, Mother." She never knew why she said 'mother' so many times. Perhaps she was afraid Cora would yell at her for bad manners.

Cora sat down on Regina's bed, talking to her through the bathroom door when she'd finally stepped out of the shower. "So, what did you do while we were gone?"

 _You mean WHO did I do?_ Regina silently chuckled to herself and shook her head. "Um, I mostly just laid in bed until I felt better." She didn't exactly lie. She just wasn't on the bed and she wasn't alone. She used one of her towels to wipe away the fog on the bathroom mirror and she looked at herself in it, using the towel to dry the ends of her hair. She put on the hotel bathrobe and walked out into the room to find her mother on her bed. "Oh yeah, by the way, it was a good thing I didn't go with you tonight."

"Why?"

"David came over."

"Oh. We must've forgotten. Well, what happened? Did you let him in?"

"Of course, Mother. But I was sick, he didn't stay long."

It was silent for a moment as Cora wondered why she had gotten so defensive all of a sudden. "It's okay." She broke the silence. "We'll be seeing him tomorrow."

"What?" Regina stopped drying her hair.

"We're going to the polo matches tomorrow and he and his family are going to be there."

Regina's giddiness jumped right out of her as her plans of seeing Mal tomorrow were interfered with. Then she remembered something. "What about Zelena? Isn't she coming here tomorrow?" She got her hopes up once more, maybe she could stay at the hotel alone and wait for her sister to arrive.

"Yes, but her plane gets in at four in the morning." Regina's hopes were crushed again. "But don't worry, she's coming to the matches with us as well." Cora studied her daughter's posture and disappointed look. "I thought you'd be excited. You used to love seeing the horses."

"Yeah." Regina replied, continuing to dry her hair again. "Used to."

"Come on. What's the matter?" Suddenly Mrs. Mills realized what was going on. "If this is about that silly horse of yours."

"Rocinante, Mom. His name was Rocinante. And of course it's about him."

"I just wish you'd get over him by now. It's been two years."

"He was all I had, Mother. And you had him put to sleep."

"It wasn't that big of a deal." Cora said ridiculously.

"He had a bad leg. All you had to do was get him a vet, not an appointment with the angel of death."

"I thought I told you not to call him that."

"Well, he is. He knew just as well as you did that we could've helped him, but because he was your best friend, he did what you said."

"Alright, Regina. That's enough. You know that Uncle Stefan gave him a check up and he said poor little Rocinante would not have made it."

"Yeah, okay." Regina doubted, going back into the bathroom with a new nightgown and quickly changing before coming back out.

"Well, I am sorry. You spent too much time with him anyway."

"It stopped me from partying and doing drugs, didn't it?" Regina always found ways to blame her mother for her rebelliousness.

Cora had no response and she stood up. "Well," she began quietly, "...there's your dessert." She pointed to the little food container she'd placed on the nightstand on the other side of the bed with a fork on top. "Good night."

Regina watched her mother leave and she slammed her body down on the bed once the door was closed. She sighed before crawling closer to the nightstand and picking up the container to look inside at what her parents had gotten her. For a second, she stared at the apple turnover and she sighed before taking the fork and eating it, knowing that her mother knew her too well. And it drove her crazy.

* * *

"Good morning, Regina." The brunette never budged. "Good morning." She started to wake a bit, but she was mostly annoyed by the shaking of her body. "Wake up, Reggi." Still, barely a stir, so…"Reggi!" The woman shouted and Regina let out an annoyed moan, turning her body away from her. "Fine." Suddenly, Regina felt the tickling and she laughed but hated that she had to wake up to this...yet again. Just like old times.

"Alright! Alright, Lena. I'm awake! Stop!" Regina sat up fully in her bed and she squinted her barely open eyes at her older sister. "Why do you have to do that?"

"Because. It's my job as the older sister." Zelena answered as she giggled. She gave Regina a few more seconds to wake up before she finally opened her arms for a hug. "How are you doing?" The red head asked.

"Aw, well, you know. Been spending the last week with Mom, so…"

"Well, you haven't killed each other yet, so that's good." Zelena joked when they broke the hug.

"She drives me insane." Regina replied seriously.

"Come on. You know that she only does it, because-"

Regina began to say the rest along with her sister, knowing it too well. "...because she loves me and she has a reputation. Blah blah blah. Yes, I know. But can't you do something once in awhile to get yelled at?"

"I did this morning."

"What?" Regina was shocked, thinking she didn't hear correctly.

"I did this morning."

"Really? What for?" Regina was a little too excited about this. Zelena put out her left hand, showing off the engagement ring. "Oh, wow! That's huge!" Regina grabbed her sister's hand. "Wait. Why would you get yelled at for this? All Mom cares about is us getting married to successful men, which clearly…" Regina gestured toward the ring, not needing to finish her sentence.

"I called off the wedding."

"What?" Regina let go of her hand.

"I called it off."

"Why? Why? Why are you still wearing the ring?"

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't going to tell Mom, but I got off the plane and she just wouldn't shut up about how she's so proud of me and not you and I hated that she was putting you down so much, so it just popped out."

Regina retracted, only hearing the part about how Cora was not proud of her, but feeling grateful that Zelena defended her when she wasn't there to defend herself. "Why'd you call off the wedding?" She finally choked out.

"I panicked."

"You?" Regina asked. "Panicking? Why?" She was used to her sister having everything together.

"I-I don't know. It seemed as though he wasn't ready to fully commit." Zelena looked down at the blanket and played with it.

"Lena…" Regina began. "He didn't-"

The red head looked back up to her sister with teary eyes and a smile that seemed as though she were trying not to cry. She nodded a bit. "Yeah." Her voice cracked. "He did."

"Oh, Zelena. I'm so sorry. With whom?"

"One of his exes at the hospital." The older sister saw the look of pity on her baby sister's face. "I came home one day and she was in MY shower."

"What?!" Regina was appalled at that.

"Yup. I thought it was him, until he came out of the bedroom with nothing on but a towel around his waist as if he were about to join her."

The brunette gasped and shook her head. "I knew when I first met Victor he was a pig."

Zelena giggled painfully. "So did I…" she looked down at the blanket again, "...but I still love him." Regina opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out as her sister fell back onto the bed, her head landing on a pillow, and she groaned. "Ugh! What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing." The younger sister tried to console her by stroking her hair.

"I mean, why do I still love him?" She forced herself not to cry. "You know...he tried to tell me that it wasn't going on for very long?"

"Are you serious? It was more than once?"

"Apparently, and he didn't understand why I was calling off the wedding."

Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Wow."

"But…" Zelena began. "I'm no better than he is."

"Lena, you didn't-"

"No, no, no." She interrupted. "I just, I met someone a couple weeks ago. A new guy in the firm and he-I don't know. I felt like I couldn't marry Victor if this guy was better for me. You know?" She looked up to Regina who briefly stopped playing with her sister's hair as she definitely knew that feeling all too well. She slightly nodded. "And…" The red head began. "It gets worse." She sat up, leaning on her forearms. "Reggi…" She couldn't finish what she was saying as a lump rose in her throat. She sighed and slammed her head back down on the pillow, bringing her arms over her eyes.

"Oh, come on. Just tell me. I'm sure it's not that bad." Regina returned to running her fingers through her curly locks.

"Oh, but Regina, it is. And I'm pretty sure it makes me the worst sister in the world."

"Zelena. Nothing could ever make you the worst sister in the world. You've done so much for me." The brunette smiled down at her.

The older sibling sighed once more before fully sitting up this time and kneeling to prepare herself before coming clean. "Okay." She sighed again, slapping her hands on her own knees. "Regina, you have to promise not to hate me okay? Because I hate myself enough as it is right now, but-"

"Just say it." Regina ordered.

Zelena blew nervous air out of her mouth before stating the truth. "It's Daniel."

Regina slightly chuckled. "What?"

"It's Daniel. You know? Your Daniel from high school. He's the new guy." At first, Lena just glared at her sister, waiting for an outburst or something, and when she got nothing but a blank stare, she grabbed a pillow and put it in her face as the tears finally made their way to the surface. She took the pillow down after a few seconds of silence. "See? I told you. I'm the worst sister in the world."

Regina still stared ahead of her, but she had a small smile on her face. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't care."

"You don't?"

"I mean, it's been what? Four, five years since I've even seen him? And besides...I found someone as well." The brunette smiled.

"You did? Who is it?" Zelena asked eagerly, wiping away the tears. "Is it that David guy Mum told me about?"

"No, it-Wait! Mom told you?" Regina asked, annoyed.

"No. Well, sort o-Yes. Yes she did." Zelena playfully poked her sister. "She said he was up here last night when you were playing sick." She stuck out her tongue.

"No, he-What do you mean playing sick?" Regina was confused at her assumptions.

"Come on. She told me your 'symptoms.' I taught you how to fake being sick, remember?" She giggled. "So...what'd you two do last night?"

"Nothing." Regina answered awkwardly.

"You liar." Zelena replied. "Did you at least kiss?" Regina didn't answer, for they actually had. Her sister gasped. "You did, didn't you?"

"It's not what you think, Lena."

"Mhmm." She smirked. "Sure."

"It's not." The younger of the two retorted, smiling.

"Okay. If you say so." The red head put her hands up in defense.

Regina gave up and she just smiled, shaking her head.

"Hello, girls."

"Hello, Daddy." Zelena said as Henry walked in.

"Will you be ready to go soon?" He grinned at his two favorite girls in the world.

"Yeah. I'll just get Reggi dressed and we'll be out in a minute." The red head giggled.

"Okay." He closed the door behind him and Zelena smiled at Regina before hopping down off the bed.

"We'll finish this conversation later." Lena winked at her before walking over to Regina's suitcase and picking out an outfit for her, something she had missed doing. Little did she know, Regina was thinking about someone totally different than David.

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A/N: Hey, I hope you liked this chapter. I always loved the idea and Regina and Zelena having a good relationship if they had grown up together. Please let me know what you thought. Thank you. Mwah! Oh! And since it's been more than a week since I've updated, I am going to treat you and update the next chapter right now. ;* Enjoy!


	14. Chapter 14

Chap 14

The Mills family arrived at Kennedy Field around eleven. Zelena saw the saddened look on Regina's face upon seeing the horses when they got out of the limousine. She placed a sympathetic hand on her little sister's back before giving her a small peck on the cheek. They walked over to the usual spot where they sat every year and they greeted the Nolans as they approached their tent.

"Wow. Um...I thought my mother told me you were playing today?" Regina said to George and Ruth's son who stood next to their chairs.

"Um...David is. I, however, was never that coordinated." The sandy-haired man chuckled, Cora laughing as well. When he saw that Regina and her sister didn't laugh he realized they did not know. "I'm James...his twin brother."

"Ooohhh." Both sisters said in unison.

"Mother, why didn't you tell me?" Regina felt a bit embarassed in front of David's parents.

"I don't know, Dear. I guess I wasn't expecting to see James." Mrs. Mills smirked, sitting down in her own chair, Henry soon sitting in his own as well.

"Yeah. I was supposed to be in Tahiti this week, but unfortunately, my retreat got cancelled on account of one of the head men of the board being hit by a car. He's now in the hospital and his wife won't apologize for running him over." Suddenly, everyone there except for Ruth, Henry, and the Mills daughters were annoyingly laughing at that.

Zelena and Regina glared at each other, rolling their eyes at the rich ignorance of these people and Ruth and Henry both gave the same looks to their spouses as if they were shooting daggers right out of their eyes at them.

"Cora." Henry whispered to his wife and she ignored him, starting a new conversation with the still disappointed Ruth. He sighed and shook his head, wishing his wife would set a better example for his daughters.

"Oh, look! There's David." George said a few minutes later, pointing to a certain horse on the polo field.

"If he's anything like his brother and father-" The red head began to whisper to her younger sister.

"He's not." Regina whispered back.

Zelena smiled with relief and returned her attention to the match, watching David with the Nolans and the rest of her family. Another few minutes passed by and after David scored a point for his team, they all cheered, almost not hearing the ringing of Zelena's cell phone. "Oh, I'm sorry. I better take this." She answered it and walked away from the tent, leaving her poor sister all alone with these snobs.

"Well, hello." A familiar voice rang behind her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here after last night."

"Anything to bring the children together." Cora answered in a snarky tone, still looking ahead and trying to forget about the business meeting that went all wrong the night before.

Regina finally turned to see Mr. Gold walking up to their tent with his arm around Maleficent and she almost stood as soon as seeing her, but she didn't hoping her mother wouldn't notice. The blonde wore her hair down and straightened with a slimming white dress that had a simple, but elegant design down one side of her body. Regina suddenly remembered helping her pick out that dress and she couldn't have been happier to see her there today...especially after spending a few minutes with these people. Maleficent smiled down at her when she stood, noticing the look on her face that she could tell was asking to be rescued from her mother.

"Ah. Mr. James Nolan." Gold put out a hand to shake his. "Such a pleasure." Both Mal and Regina could tell he didn't really mean it. "What brings you here?" Mr. Gold knew of James's busy lifestyle.

"Actually, decided I'd stop by to see everyone again. It has been almost a full year now. And I know how much Mother missed me." He smiled, standing behind his mother and putting a hand on her shoulder as she reached up and held it there before he pulled it away. She lightly grinned, missing how sweet BOTH her boys used to be, but now only one was still just as kind. "Who is this lovely lady?" He asked, grabbing Mal's hand and kissing it while looking into her eyes.

"This is Maleficent. She's a dear friend of mine." Gold answered.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you." He kissed her hand again. This time, his lips lingering longer than anyone had anticipated and Regina couldn't help but stare enviously at the lust-filled look on his face.

Finally, Mal felt extremely uncomfortable and she basically ripped her hand away from his, not even a small look of amusement on her face as she clung to Gold's hip more as if asking for him to get her out of there.

"Well, Nolans, Mills, it was nice seeing you all again." Gold recognized Mal's cry for help right away and he took her to his own space, a few tents down.

Maleficent and Regina never took their eyes off each other's as they walked away and the blonde sat beside Mr. Gold.

"Regina, Dear. Would you go get your darling mother a cold drink?" Cora asked, snapping Regina out of her gaze at Mal. "Just tell them to put it on our bill." Mrs. Mills never looked at her youngest, but Regina still felt as if she were being stared at.

She rolled her eyes and stood, wishing Zelena would come back soon. She shot her eyes back to Mal who wasn't looking anymore before turning to go get her mother a sparkling water, the usual.

When she returned to the tent, she noticed James's eyes kept gazing over at Maleficent and finally, she broke by putting a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. "Um...hi." She said quietly as all four of their parents had a political conversation.

"Hi." He annoyingly answered as if she were bothering him.

"Um...why do you keep looking over there?" She was thinking about coming up with another topic to discuss but her mind wouldn't leave the main focus, so she decided to just ask him.

"Is it true what they said about her?" He wondered.

"Is what true? Who's 'they?'"

"Oh, right. You weren't here." He remembered she had left to get a drink. Suddenly, he brought it down to a whisper as if everyone in the tents around them would be able to hear. "Your parents, my parents, they said she was a prostitute." He watched Regina stare passed him at the blonde. "Is it true?" She looked back at him without answering, but by the look on her face, he could tell it was true. "Huh. Never thought Mr. Gold-"

"James, who was that friend of yours that you said wanted to run for senator?" George interrupted, unaware of the second conversation the two behind him were having.

James immediately ignored his and Regina's conversation and he started telling a long story to Henry and Cora. The brunette looked passed him again, noticing that Mal was now looking at her again and they both smiled at each other. Regina watched as Maleficent whispered something to Gold and stood up, leaving her tent. Her gaze never left Regina as the twenty year old finally realized that she was inviting her to join her somewhere.

"Where are you going, Darling?" Henry asked when he saw her standing.

"To the bathroom." She said quietly, not wanting to interrupt her mother's conversation with James and George. She turned around and smiled, walking to the nearest ladies' room where she had just seen Maleficent enter. "Mal?" She called out when she entered the restroom.

One of the stall doors opened and Regina barely had time to turn around when she felt the hug from behind and she looked at the blonde in the mirror over her shoulder. She smiled, turning around and hugging her back before they gave each other a short kiss. "Hi." Mal finally said.

Regina giggled a bit. "Hi. Ugh! I'm so glad to see you here. I wrote you a note." The brunette still had her arms around Maleficent's neck.

"You did?" The blonde smiled down at her as she locked her fingers together on Regina's lower back.

"I was going to tape it to our hotel room door, but then I realized that my parents would probably see it." She giggled again and this time the older of the two joined in.

"What did it say?" She asked curiously.

"Well, it started with 'Hey, beautiful,'" Regina started, Mal blushing a bit. "'...I'm sorry we couldn't make plans today. I wanted to, but my parents and my sister are going out. Maybe we can try to see each other tonight?'"

"Well," Maleficent began, "...even though we are both here today, I hope we can still see each other tonight, because Mr. Gold has another business meeting and perhaps," Regina was grinning so widely before Mal even finished her sentence. "...I can call room service and ask you up for some dinner and champagne?"

"Mmmm…" The younger of the two cocked her head to the side and looked up to the ceiling as if she were having a hard time thinking about it. "...okay." She said quickly before kissing Mal one more time.

"Wait a minute…" Mal moved back a little, but still didn't let go of her. "Did you say your sister?"

"She flew in this morning. I can't wait for you to meet her. She was out in the tent with us, but unfortunately she got a call just before you and Gold arrived. It was probably from her office." Regina leaned in for another kiss, but Maleficent pulled back, causing Regina a bit of concern. "What's the matter?"

"You know what." Mal answered.

"Hey. Don't worry. I know my sister. She supports me in almost everything I do. Trust me." The brunette smiled again.

"Will she support you in doing a female prostitute?"

Regina scoffed, letting go of Mal's neck and Mal letting go of her waist. "I wish you wouldn't do that?"

"Do what?" Mal watched Regina slowly take little steps, pacing back and forth in front of the sinks. "Do what?" She repeated.

"I can't believe you brought that up."

"Come on. It's one thing for someone to get used to their relative dating someone of the same sex, but it's a whole other thing having to process the fact that your relative is dating a prostitute or a pimp."

"Yes, I know...But I was hoping we wouldn't have to tell her." She finally stopped pacing and she put her hands on her hips, looking at the floor.

"Regina, your parents know...eventually she was going to find out." Mal moved in closer to Regina and slowly put her arms in between the spaces her arms made with her hands on her hips. The blonde locked her fingers together behind her back once more and she cocked her head to the side, trying to get Regina to look up at her. "Hmm?"

The younger of the two finally looked into her eyes. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry. But I really don't think she'll be too bad. I mean, you're responsible and you're just doing it until you get back on your feet, right?" Mal didn't answer, but Regina still moved her hands off of her hips to hold Mal's shoulders and resting her head on the blonde's chest. "It'll be fine….It'll be fine." The twenty year old sounded as though she were trying to convince herself more than her girlfriend. "Right?"

Mal rested her chin on the top of Regina's head and she looked at herself in the mirror. "Right." She answered quietly, hugging Regina tighter before closing her eyes. They held each other for a moment before Maleficent sighed and pulled away, kissing her on the forehead. "Okay. We better get back out there, before your mother thinks you're off somewhere getting drunk again." They both laughed and Regina left first, leaving Mal alone in the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror, wondering when she was going to change her life. She sighed and left after thinking that that time was now.

"A prostitute?" The last stall door opened, revealing a red head, in shock, exiting the stall to process everything she had just heard. Zelena had gone into the bathroom earlier to speak with her ex-fiance on the phone to come out knowing that her little sister was in love with a lady of the night.

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A/N: So, I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't much, but it's starting to get down to the complicated parts in their relationship. Please let me know what you think in the reviews. Love you guys! Mwah!


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey, I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I updated. There have been some troubles in the family since I posted last and I've been in Wisconsin visiting my father since it all went down and it took me a while to find some more inspiration to continue writing. Anyway, you don't need to hear my life story. Lol You want to hear THIS story. xD Hope you enjoy! MWAH!**

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Chap 15

Regina was grinning wide and ignoring something that James was trying to speak to her about when Zelena finally found the strength to return to their tent. "Hey." Regina said, relieved that she wasn't alone anymore. The younger of the two's smile faded when she noticed her older sister trying to pretend as though she didn't hear her. "What's the matter? Is something wrong at the office in New York?"

"What?" Lena asked, still staring ahead.

"The phone call?"

"Oh...No. That was just Victor calling and trying to beg for me to go back to him." The red head answered as if it were no big deal.

"Oh. That must've been bad?" Regina assumed, seeing the look on her face.

Suddenly, a voice on the loudspeaker sounded as all members of the polo teams left for a half time rest. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's that time that we all have been waiting for. Please join us out on the field to help fill in the divots in the grass!" The wealthy, chubby announcer sounded way more excited than he should be about this very dull moment in the polo match. Which was saying something because polo matches are pretty dull themselves.

Mal looked around, innocently watching as the snobby crowd members all stood, just as excitedly, and walked out onto the field, finding chunks of grass and dirt close by holes in the ground and pounding them back into the earth with their feet. This made Mal chuckle a bit for she thought wealthy people were very protective about their shoes...But perhaps that's why they thought it was so much fun. She decided she was just going to stay in the tent with Mr. Gold, who also never went out during half time, and watch as she internally laughed at the way these people had lived. But soon, she changed her mind as she looked up, seeing Regina smiling at her and beckoning her to join her on the field. The blonde sighed, grinning at her but stood anyways and attempted not to fall in her new heels in the grass.

"So...this is what you guys do for fun?" Maleficent asked quietly when she joined the twenty year old and just watched instead of helping fill in the divots.

"Well, most other people find it amusing as well as a way to forget about acting so proper even just for ten minutes." Regina smiled as she stomped on one pile of grass. "I never saw it as that much fun though."

Mal's smile grew wider as she stared at her girlfriend who still grinned at the ground. "Looks to ME like you're having fun."

Regina stopped and looked up at the taller woman. "That's just because you're here."

There was a moment of silence as they smiled at each other. Finally, Maleficent broke the eye contact, remembering that someone else might notice and this time she took a turn at fixing a hole in the grass. "Don't be so sappy." The blonde said, blushing and trying her hardest not to show it. Regina giggled, knowing that she meant the opposite of that, then she also returned to returning piles of dirt to their original spots.

"Regina, Dear! Come here, please!" Cora yelled from across the field, standing near a family whom she clearly wanted to introduce both daughters to. Zelena had just left the group and Regina rolled her eyes and sighed before starting over to join them.

"I'll be back." The brunette said to Maleficent who weakly smiled at her as she walked away.

Mal looked down at another divot and she scoffed as she was about to fill it in. She looked back up at Regina walking toward the group and she saw a red head woman walking away from the group, looking at her with her arms crossed over her chest. This was when Mal noticed that the woman intended on joining her.

"Hello." Zelena said as she reached the mysterious blonde she just saw beaming at her little sister.

"Hi." Mal replied nervously.

"You must be…" Zel took a moment to remember the name. "...Mal?"

"Yes? Have we met?"

"No. But Regina mentioned you." Zelena kept her arms crossed and she seemed to be studying the woman in front of her.

This was when Mal realized who she was. "You must be her sister." She suddenly smiled and extended her hand to offer Zel a handshake, but the red head just looked down at it and looked back up into the blonde's eyes. Maleficent awkwardly put her hand down. "So, uh...what did she tell you?"

"Well, she didn't really tell me anything. She didn't even tell me your name…." Lena remembered the note Regina had written her, "... _Beautiful_."

There was a sudden feeling of panic in Mal's chest and her heart began to beat faster and faster. "You were in there?" She whispered nervously.

"I was." Zel replied in a tone that sounded almost like a question.

"Listen," Mal began in a sad whisper,"...I'm sorry that you had to hear that. I w-"

"Are you really a prostitute?"

The blonde was shocked. She had forgotten they had talked about that in the bathroom. "I-" She passed Zelena's shoulder and saw that Regina was on her way back and she tried her hardest not to show her nervousness, but the brunette was not fooled and she began to walk faster.

"Zelena? Maleficent? Hey." Regina said when she finally reached them and relieved Mal from her sudden fear.

"Maleficent?" This was the first time Zelena had heard her full name and the look of judgement on her face multiplied.

"It's a long story." Regina pushed the reason for Mal's name aside for now. "What's going on?" The brunette finally noticed the hostility between the two.

"We need to talk." Zelena replied, still not taking her eyes off of Mal.

"Okay." Regina answered nervously. "Okay. Let's go." She grabbed Mal's hand and took her sister by the elbow in the other hand. She led them off the field and to a place behind the concession stand where they could be alone.

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 **A/N: I know it was pretty short, but I liked where it ended. Please let me know what you think. And I promise I'll try updating more often. I'm sorry. Love you guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chap 16

The three finally made their way to the back of the concession stand and they heard the crowd of people by the field cheer as the polo players returned on their steeds for the second half. Zelena still had her arms crossed and her lips were pursed in a way that told Regina she must know. "What's wrong?" Regina swallowed nervously.

"Oh, I think you know." The unimpressed redhead snapped at her sister, still glaring at Maleficent.

"Zel, look-"

"Regina," the oldest Mills daughter interrupted, "...what do you think Mum is going to say about this? You're going to end up just like you did with Emma."

"Lena, this is different."

"How?"

"I'm an adult now."

"That means nothing."

"It does."

"It doesn't."

"It does!" Mal watched them argue back and forth. "Lena, listen….This isn't just some teenage infatuation, okay"

"How long has this been going on?" Regina and Mal just looked at each other, nervous to answer. "How long?" Zelena repeated slowly.

Regina looked down, anticipating the reaction she was expecting. She took a deep breath before answering quietly, almost in a whisper. "About two days."

"What?" Zelena didn't know if she heard right.

"Two days." Regina said again, this time a bit louder and with some attitude in her tone.

"Two days? Regina, are you kidding me? How did you two even meet?" The redhead found it hard to believe that her sister would even know someone like her.

"Look, don't judge her okay? She's not the way you think she is." The brunette couldn't help but wrap her own pinky around Maleficent's pinky.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You still didn't answer my question. How did you two meet?"

Regina seemed to be having a hard time speaking now and Mal just knew. "We met at the hotel." The blonde answered, stepping forward a bit.

"Our hotel? What were YOU doing in a place like that?"

"Mr. Gold hired me to-" She stopped herself.

Zelena looked down, chuckling as she brought her hands down to her hips. "Wow." She looked back up at Regina who was now looking down herself. "Seriously, Reggi?" Suddenly, she remembered why they were there in the first place. "What about David? What about last night?" She remembered that she didn't deny that they had kissed. "You told me-"

Regina, now beginning to cry, lifted her head up to say something. "You don't think I know how wrong this is? Yes, I did kiss him last night, but only because I was trying to stop myself from feeling this way. But nothing works. I can't help it, alright? Just like you can't help feeling something for Daniel and no matter how wrong I know this is, it feels right to me and I am so sick of trying to feel something for someone else. My heart belongs to her."

"What?"

"What?" Maleficent barely heard her as she was thinking of what she could say.

"It's true. My heart belongs to her."

"Really?" Mal looked like she might cry, but she smiled and they turned toward one another as if ignoring Zelena's presence.

"Really." Regina smiled up at her. "I know we've only known each other for a few days, but I've learned that love doesn't have a time. You're the first person to ever show me that and you're the first person to make me want to do anything I can to help and protect you. I don't care about your age, I don't care about your gender, and now I know that I don't care about what you do, because you only do it so you can take care of Lily. That's what love is. Putting yourself in even the worst of situations just so you can make sure that someone you love is taken care of. That's the kind of person I want to be. And you're the only person I know to ever make me forget about who I am and where I come from. You're the only one to make me remember that I'm actually worth something. And if you can do that in just a couple days, then I can't wait to see what you can do for me for the rest of our lives."

Maleficent was now crying as well and she brought a hand up to Regina's cheek, moving in closer to her. She felt Regina squeeze her hand and right at that moment, she knew...Regina had her heart as well. "And you're the only person to ever really make me want to stop what I do and chase my dreams again. You made me face my fears on that balcony and it was just to save you. But little did you know...that you were saving me as well."

Regina choked out a sob as she smiled, resting her forehead against Mal's. They both took a deep breath at the same time and closed their eyes as they exhaled. Finally, Regina remembered that her sister was probably freaking out right now and she nervously turned to see that Zel was also tearing up.

"I'm sorry." Regina apologized, thinking that her sister was crying about her being with a prostitute.

"No. I'm sorry." With that, the redhead ran in to hug her little sister and Regina was caught off guard, as was Maleficent. After a second of the hug, Zelena reached a hand out to hold Mal's and the blonde took it gladly, smiling with tears of joy. "I'm sorry. I never cared about you being a woman or you being a prostitute." She and Regina broke the hug and Mal gave her a look that said that she was lying. "Alright, maybe I did care a little bit, but I was just looking after you, Reggi." She smiled at her little sister and held one of her hands with her other one still holding Mal's. "I was just a bit concerned about certain consequences and I was also trying to prepare you for Mum's reaction."

They both sighed. "Yeah, well we better prepare for more than just her reaction." Maleficent confessed sadly.

"Yeah." Zelena put her head down.

"And about those certain consequences…" Mal began, referring to having to sleep with other men and the dangers of it. She turned to Regina. "You don't have to worry about them."

"What?" The youngest of the three thought she knew what she was saying, but she wanted to make sure.

"I'm done."

"Really?" Regina held one of her hands again.

"Yes. I can't do it anymore. Especially knowing that you'll be somewhere waiting for me."

"But what about-"

"I don't care about the money. I can figure it out. And I know that I can because you motivate me." Regina couldn't hold in her excitement anymore and she let out a tiny yelp, attacking Mal with a tight hug. Zelena smiled looking at the two of them and she couldn't help but join the hug herself.

After a few moments of the hug, Zelena finally spoke, still holding them. "Who's Lily?"

They all began to laugh, still crying and they let go of each other, smiling at each other. "We can tell you some other time." Regina wiped away one of Zelena's tears. "Right now we should get back before Mother calls the police again."

"Seriously? She did it again?" Zelena was very familiar to her mother calling the police when either of them is out of her sight for more than a minute.

"Yeah." Maleficent said and they all laughed again before returning to the match.

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 **A/N: I'm sorry about this chapter. Lol I hope you liked it though. Please leave your thoughts in the review section. Mwah!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey, I'm sorry for taking so long...the last few days have been pretty busy. (Plus, I've had some writer's block). I've been visiting my dad in a different state for more than a month and I'm leaving in a couple days, so when I get home updating may slow down due to lack of wi-fi. Lol But I hope you can bear with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Chap 17

Maleficent walked around the back of the concession stand to return to her seat under Gold's tent. Regina began to head toward their family tent, but Zel gently grabbed her arm, holding her back for a moment. "Wait." She whispered, hoping Mal wouldn't notice and come back. The red head waited to see that the blonde was gone and she turned back to her little sister. "Reggi, listen...I-"

"What?" Regina grew nervous again.

"I really am sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about-"

"No, really. You know that I don't care about men and women...whatever. Remember I was the one who kept your relationship with Emma a secret."

"I know." Regina said before trying to leave again.

Zelena grabbed her elbow once more. "But…" Regina rolled her eyes and looked passed her older sister, annoyed that there was a 'but.' "You need to think about your future." Zelena was practically whispering now. Regina let out a loud sigh, sick of hearing that from everyone and she refused to look her sister in the eye. "Just...you'll have to figure out how this is going to work."

"Ugh!" Regina tried to leave again, so this time, Lena stepped in front of her and tried forcing her to look her in the eyes.

"If you DO want this to work, you're going to have to figure this out. You've still got school, you know. And if you want children…" She bit her tongue not wanting to upset the brunette.

"What?" Regina asked, tensely. When Zel didn't answer right away she repeated herself. "What?"

"I don't wanna-"

"No! What were you gonna say?"

"I'm sorry, but who's going to give a child to someone with her background? Not to mention one who's married to another woman? One who's more than a decade younger than her by the way?"

"We don't need to have-"

"Regina, listen...You may not want them now, but trust me, when you're older you will want kids."

"Zelena-"

"Take it from someone who knows."

"If you would stop interrupting me, you would hear me say that Mal has...Wait, what?!" Regina noticed the look on her sister's face as the redhead looked down at the grass beneath her feet. "Zelena?" The oldest of the two had her hands on her hips and she looked up as if trying to stop tears from forming. Suddenly, Regina's eyes widened as she looked at her sister's stomach. "You're not-" She couldn't finish the question for she could tell what the answer was by the fear in her sister's eyes. "Victor?" She wasn't sure why she was asking that, but it just slipped out considering she didn't know what else to say.

Zelena took in a deep breath, but it seemed to Regina that she never let it go. "I was gonna tell him. But that was the day…"

"Zelena, why didn't you tell me?" The younger of the two moved in closer to her poor sister who's world was slowly falling apart.

"I don't know...I-" She looked down in sadness and in shame and Regina knew what she was thinking.

"Lena, no!." The brunette backed up a bit.

Zelena looked up, tears finally falling. "I don't know what else to do."

"Well, you're not getting rid of it." Regina demanded.

Suddenly, Zelena remembered and she hated herself for being so selfish. "Reggi, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about Hen-"

"Please...don't say his name."

They were silent for a moment before Zelena finally asked. "Does she know about him?" She wondered.

Regina looked around the tree behind the concession stand that blocked her view of Mal. Once seeing her, sitting there so peacefully and as if everything was in order, she took a deep breath, almost not letting it go like her sister. "No." Regina sadly answered. "She knows about the pregnancy and she knows he's not here….obviously, but that's all she knows. I think she thinks I miscarried." Zelena put a hand on her sister's shoulder, sorry that she had to remind Regina of one of the most painful memories of all. "Please don't do this, you'll regret it later."

The red head took her hand away and she knew she didn't want to, but she felt she had to. "I-" her voice cracked, "I don't want to have to raise it by myself."

Now, it was Regina who put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "You won't have to. I can help and so can Mal." She remembered. "Which reminds me...I was going to tell you that Mal and I don't need to have children because we've got her daughter, Lily."

Zelena recalled being curious halfway through the couple's heart to heart conversation when she heard the name Lily and didn't know who they were speaking of. "What about her father?"

"Well…" she was scared to finish,. "...we won't have to worry about him. Just let us help you through this. And in time...I know you don't want to hear this, but you're going to have to tell Victor."

"But, I-"

"No. You do, because he deserves to know." Regina saw the pain in her sister's eyes and she could see that he was missing him, even though she didn't care to admit it. "You two created this precious gift together, whether he likes it or not. And...I can't believe I'm saying this, but give him a chance and he may step up." Zelena looked as if she would try to protest but Regina stopped her beforehand. "It doesn't mean that you have to get married, it just means that he can live his life knowing that he has a child...that way when he has a full grown adult knocking on his door claiming he's their father, he won't deny it or make up any excuses." Regina gave her a look telling her she knew what she was talking about. "You understand that well, don't you?"

Zelena remembered when she was 21, the day that Cora and Henry had finally admitted to her that he was not her real father. She had searched for months looking for John, the man that lied and manipulated her mother to get what he wanted. After she'd finally found and met him, all he did was let her down. He told lies and admitted that he was happier with the wife and kids he had now and he didn't need her to come into his life just as he was becoming successful at his firm. She remembers just like it was yesterday when he laughed in her face after she said that she'd like to get to know him and the family.

Now she knew what Regina meant. " _Don't put this poor child through the same thing she went through."_ She nodded and took her little sister's hand when she offered it to her.

"You won't be alone. I promise." Regina forced her to believe what she was saying. "Plus, I'm sure you'll find someone...like Daniel perhaps?" The brunette practically winked at her and it caused Zel to blush and finally smile. Zelena finally wiped away her tears and Regina squeezed her hand with both of her own. "You're gonna love this child so much." Regina smiled as her own tears were starting to form. "And believe me when I say-" The youngest sniffled, fighting back the lump in her throat. Zelena's smile weakened when she knew how hard it was for Regina to speak. "...when I say that this human growing inside you is a-" she sniffled again and took a deep breath before attempting to finish. "...a little angel and once you look at his or her face...you're going to feel so different about life."

Regina, still holding Zel's right hand with both of hers, reached in front of her putting all three hands on her sister's stomach. Almost as if she were forcing her to finally embrace the treasure that this baby will be and Zel couldn't help but finally feel as if she were going to be a mother. She couldn't hold in the tears of joy this time and they both cried as she reached up with her free hand to hold their hands there for awhile.

"Cherish every moment you have."

"I will." Zelena nodded before thinking of something and chuckling.

"What?" Regina wondered.

"We're so messed up."

Regina began to laugh as she agreed. "We are."

"How are we both going to tell Mom?"

"By not telling her?" Regina suggested and they laughed again.

They both smiled at each other and Zelena lifted a hand to wipe away Regina's tears. They giggled and hugged, sniffling one last time.

Zelena groaned as if she were annoyed at all the crying and she laughed. "I love you, Reggi." She put an arm around her little sister's shoulder.

"I love you too, Sis!" Regina also laughed and she put an arm around Lena's waist as they walked back to their family's tent.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter...This was actually not planned at all. I just kept writing and writing and this is what became of this chapter. Haha Anyway I liked it...I hope YOU enjoyed it. Please leave me some reviews. MWAH!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chap 18

Finally, the polo match ended and everyone stood up to clap for both teams. People all said goodbye as large groups of people climbed into their limousines to return home. The families of the players, however, stayed back to wait for their sons to come out of the changing rooms and put their horses in their carriers to go back home to their stables. Mr. Gold and Maleficent also stayed so Gold could discuss more business options with Henry, who was staying because his wife was stubborn and wanted Regina to see David.

Mal, Regina, and Zelena all rolled their eyes at Cora upon mentioning it. They all waited awhile for David whose team was getting a pep talk from their coach in the locker room. "We have extra drinks and burgers back here if any of you want one!" The woman behind the concession stand yelled out to the remaining families.

Regina gave Mal a look that told her she wanted to talk so they both went over to grab a drink. "So, I was thinking." Regina began.

"Oh, don't do that." Maleficent joked and they both giggled. "About what?"

"Tonight." Regina could see in Mal's eyes that she thought she was having second thoughts about seeing each other. She felt the need to reassure her. "Would it be okay if Zelena was there, too? I think the three of us need to have a serious talk about some things and tonight would be the perfect time to do it. If that's alright with you, of course."

"Yeah. Sure. I was kind of thinking the same thing." The blonde smiled at her as they finally got their drinks and began to walk back to the group.

"Thank you." Regina smiled, wanting so hard to kiss her. "She really needs us right now, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We can talk about it later, though." Regina began to speak softer as they got closer to the families.

"Alright." Mal smiled back and fought the urge to hold her hand when they reached the cluster of people. "Gold. I'm going to go wait by the car, okay?" Maleficent smiled at Regina one last time before kissing Gold on the cheek and leaving.

Regina smiled, knowing that kiss was meant for her and she gently touched Zelena's arm. "Can we walk for a second?"

"Sure. What's up?" They both walked away from the group and Regina began to tell her about tonight.

"So, different than what you're used to, huh?" Maleficent jumped at the sound of the deep voice that snuck up on her after Jefferson left the car to go get a drink of his own. She didn't say much, growing nervous by the way he looked at her as if he knew something. "You know the Mills girl pretty well?"

"Not really, no. We've only known each other for a couple days." She felt her body beginning to shake.

"Hmm…" He had his hands behind his back, holding his left wrist with his right hand the whole time they stood there, shoulder to shoulder. Maleficent grew tense at the closeness and she swallowed hard, unsure of what to do without feeling rude. "She told me something about you, you know." His voice got low and husky and the blonde felt him moving closer to her. "A dirty little secret." He let go of his left wrist behind his back and he reached around Mal, resting his hand on her backside. She gasped, feeling tears stinging her eyes, but refusing to fall. Her heart began pounding against the inside of her chest as if it were screaming to get out. He pulled her to him, their hips touching and he leaned in to brush his lips against her jaw underneath her ear before whispering into it. "Maybe we should hang out sometime."

She knew exactly what he meant. And she didn't know what it was that made her freeze. She'd gone through this many times before, but she looked at a smiling Regina talking to her sister across the field and she couldn't move, especially knowing that she was about to quit what she did. He returned to softly kissing her jaw before squeezing her ass and she panicked, pushing him away finally. "I don't think that's a good idea." She thankfully found her voice.

"What are you worried about the money? Because I have plenty." He stood really close to her and she gave him a nasty look before turning and hoping that no one was looking. He followed her eyes and saw that she looked at Regina, then Gold. "What? Are you afraid of people seeing?" He moved even closer, as if that were possible and he reached a hand up to cup one of her breasts before slowly sliding the hand down her side and back to her butt again. He leaned in to kiss her on the lips, and she pushed him away.

"Stop it! I'm not like that anymore." She snapped. He laughed at her while staring down at her figure, practically licking his lips. "Asshole!"

"What'd you call me?" He got pissed and she backed up a little more, seeing the insanity in his eyes.

"Everything alright?" Both jumped and turned to see Mr. Gold standing there unamused, holding his walking stick in front of him.

"Oh, yeah." James chuckled. "We were just talking." He saw Maleficent roll her eyes at him and he cleared his throat before heading back to his family. "David, my little brother!" He pulled his twin into a hug when he got back to the group.

"By two minutes." David said as if he were embarrassed in front of Regina.

"Yeah, well. Still." James laughed after pulling out of the hug.

"It's nice to see you again, bro." David said. He was not expecting to see his brother show up.

"You too, man." James patted him on the shoulder before turning to speaking with his father and mother about something.

Meanwhile, Cora gave Regina look forcing her to say something to him. "Um, you were pretty good out there." Regina finally choked out.

"Thanks." He shot her that charming smile and it was silent for a moment.

"Uh, this is my sister, Zelena." The brunette looked down awkwardly and Zel and David shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you." He said.

"And you." Zelena gave him doey eyes. "You're very good at...uh," She didn't know how to put this. "...hitting balls with a stick while riding a horse." She was still shaking his hand.

"Ummm...thanks." He laughed, looking at Regina who began to feel embarrassed herself. "Can I have my hand back?" He finally asked.

"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry." She let go and blushed.

"Well, uh...Regina. Can I speak with you? Alone?" David wondered.

"Um," she looked at Zelena as if asking her what to do. "...sure."

He took her hand and led her away from the group. "That kiss the other night-"

"David. I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"It was nice." He smiled. "And I wouldn't mind kissing your gorgeous lips again."

For a second, she found herself in a daze. He was just so damn charming and the way he said it, made her eyes glaze over for a moment. Soon, she shook her head after staring at his red cheeks. "No, David. Listen." He held one of her hands, and she saw Cora and Zelena watching in the corner of her eyes. "That kiss was a mistake."

"But you kissed me." He said.

"No. Well, yes. David-" She couldn't find the right way to tell him.

Suddenly, his smile faded and he realized. "Is there someone else?"

"No. Well, kind of. But it's not what you think."

"Who is it?" He was curious.

"Um…" She didn't know what to do. If he knew, then he might tell James, who might tell his father, who might tell her mother.

"It's okay." He shook his head. "You don't have to tell me." He started to look sad and she squeezed his hand.

"I'm really sorry, David. I would love to be your friend though." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"That's what all the girls say."

"What?" She wasn't sure she heard his soft mumble correctly.

"Nothing." He faked a smile. "It's okay. I'd love to be friends. And I hope that whoever he is knows that he's lucky."

She couldn't resist going up on her tippy toes to give him a small peck on the cheek. "You'll find her one day." She smiled and he smiled back when she reached her free hand up to lightly caress his cheek where she had just kissed and they returned to the group as Cora and Zelena pretended not to have been looking.

Regina stood beside Zel who gave her a sad, apologetic look for she knew what just happened. Cora, however, had no clue and she was grinning like a fool at the kiss on the cheek she'd just witnessed between her daughter and a man that she felt was right for her.

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 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. These twins! David is just too charming and got rejected by Regina and James is such a sicko and got rejected by Mal. Lol Ironic that the actual couple here both got hit on by each twin, huh? Haha! Please leave reviews. They encourage me to write more. Love you guys! MWAH!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chap 19

"I don't know what to wear."

"Honey, just wear whatever you want."

"But I-"

"Reggi, she's not going to care."

"But-"

"Just wear this." Zelena, sitting on the bed, grabbed one of Regina's sky blue dresses from the pile of options in front of her and offered it to her anxious little sister.

Regina, still in her bathrobe, walked over to the bed to take it from her. She stood in front of the mirror, holding the dress in front of her to see if it would match the occasion. "Hmmm…" She liked it for a moment, but then she shook her head and threw it on the bed behind her. "No."

"Reggi, just pick something and let's go. You'll look great in anything and we don't have all night. By the time you pick something Mum and Dad will be back. So, just choose anything and-"

"No." Regina pretty much whispered to herself, looking in the mirror. "It has to be perfect."

"Why does it mean so much to you?" Zel finally stood and walked over to the closet. "We're just having dinner in her hotel room."

"Because, it just is."

"Ummm...what about this one?" Zelena took something out of the closet and turned around to show it.

Regina turned from looking into the mirror and upon seeing the dress she held, a wide smile grew on her face. "That's it."

%&%&%&%&%&%&

Maleficent was surprisingly calm, but she couldn't stop smiling. She stood in the family room of the penthouse, overjoyed and ecstatic. Every moment that passed by made her more and more excited to see her again. She walked into the dining room to make sure the meals under the silver covers were still hot and she closed her eyes upon smelling the rich cuisine when she lifted one of the covers. She felt the rumbling in her stomach and she slowly returned the top.

Suddenly, she began to wonder if her makeup or hair had somehow gotten ruined and she walked into the bedroom just to check in the body mirror by the door. She had her hair in a loose, but formal updo that contained a few [intended] fly away strands that she had curled as best she could with her fingers, considering she couldn't afford a curling iron. She was lucky, however, because her hair was naturally wavy and sometimes curled on its own. Her makeup was natural and she had a subtle smoky eye that had a hint of sparkly magenta to match the casual, but classy dress she wore with the small set of jewels elegantly placed on the front of her left hip. It had one shoulder strap and it ended just a couple inches above the knee. Her heels were silver and simple, featuring a thin chain detailed with rhinestones down the middle of each foot. She wore stud earrings and kept her neck and wrists bare. She wasn't usually one for being flashy.

She looked at herself and she rubbed her lips together once more to blend in her skin colored lipstick. _*Knock, knock*_ Her stomach was immediately fluttering with butterflies and she shook walking towards the door.

"Hello, Zele-" Mal couldn't finish once the redhead stepped to the side, revealing Regina a bit more and she was speechless. It was that dress. The long, silver dress the young girl had worn that night of the first time they had properly met. Regina had remembered the blonde saying that she loved the Dolce and Gabbana gown during their awkward encounter in the bathroom as well as staring at her in it. "You look-" She had no words.

Regina blushed and looked down, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "So do you." She said once she looked back into Maleficent's eyes. The brunette had a thin bracelet on her right wrist with a hint of aqua blue in the gems. She let her hair down to one side and only curled a few pieces of her thick hair while straightening the rest of it. She wore a shiny gloss over a shade of salmon lipstick. Her eyes were accentuated with a light blue shade and her mascara had silver sparkles in it. Her heels were a simple skin color and she wore an anklet and a necklace that matched her bracelet. "I didn't mean to dress so formal, but I didn't know what to wear. And I remembered you liked this dr-"

"No, I love it." Mal grinned at her.

It was silent between the three of them for a while and Zelena stood unnoticed until she cleared her throat to say, "I look great, too? Oh, stop it."

The other two also cleared their throats and finally broke eye contact before giggling at the redhead. "Yes, Lena. You look wonderful." Regina said.

"Absolutely radiant." Mal chuckled. "Well, come on in. The food is ready….and when I say ready I mean room service already brought it and I set it up in the dining room."

They all laughed again and Maleficent shut the door when the Mills sisters made their way inside. She actually did admire the emerald green dress that Zelena wore. It had medium length sleeves that ended at the elbows and it had a bit of a leafy pattern, made with the chiffon see through fabric. She wore a loose brown belt around her belly, adding more to the dress that slightly ruffled toward the bottom just below her knees. Her shoes were simple, darker green flats that had a slight open toe. Her hair was kept down and naturally wavy.

The three of them reached the table. "Sit wherever." Mal said. She sat at the remaining chair when the other two chose their seats and they enjoyed their lasagna while making small talk, holding onto the main conversation for later. They discussed why Mal's name was Maleficent and that Zelena had an accent because when she was younger Cora sent her to boarding school in London...perhaps that's why she was sometimes the more obedient daughter and the more favorited.

They finished their food and stayed at the dining room table. "So...what exactly do we need to discuss?" Maleficent wondered.

Regina and Zelena glanced at each other for a moment and Zel used her eyes to tell Regina that she could tell her. "Zelena is in a bit of a situation and she's afraid of having to go through it alone. I, however, told her she wouldn't have to and that you and I could help her."

Mal crossed her arms and rested them on the table. "What kind of situation?"

"The kind where you're the only one who has had the most experience….with Lily." Regina looked back to Zelena and then back to Mal who sat up, bringing her arms down and resting her hands in her lap. "Do you think we could be there for her. She's always been there for me and-"

"Of course. Anything you need, I can help." Mal smiled. "The father?"

"We don't know about him yet."

"I haven't told him." Zelena said sadly. "And unfortunately, we're separated at the moment."

"Ah." Maleficent nodded and looked at the table before saying, "You have nothing to worry about. Even if he doesn't want to be a part of this child's life, we'll be here for you. I wasn't alone because my dear friend and roommate helps me out all the time, and we'll do the same."

"You see, what I'm nervous about is the fact that I live in New York and the both of you are here. So...What? Do I just quit my job and move back here?"

"When do you go back home?" The blonde wondered.

"Well, I don't have to be back to work until the tenth. So, about two weeks or so."

Regina gasped causing the other two to jump a little. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?" Zel said.

"For the next two weeks, we can work together to get you all the information that you'll need for now. Then when you go back, we'll do scheduled skype chats and you can ask questions, we can tell you what to buy and what to do. I get pretty good wi-fi connection at school, so-"

"But Regina, you can't bring Maleficent and Lilith to school with you."

The twenty year old never thought of that. "That's why we'll schedule the skype sessions."

"But, Regina. What if she has a major question? She won't be able to call us right away." Mal added.

It was silent for a moment and Regina didn't want to let her big sister down. "I'll get Mom and Dad to buy me an apartment and Mal and Lily can move in with me."

"You know Mum would never allow that."

"I don't care." The brunette was sick of everything. "Fine. Then I just won't go back to school and I'll move in with them."

"Regina-"

"Come on." She stood, walking over to the closed balcony window and crossing her arms over her chest. "I never wanted to be a lawyer in the first place."

"But, Regina. Your mother will never allow that." Mal began. "Neither would I. You could be a great lawyer."

"Oh, please. Mother only put me in that program because of all the illegal stuff I've done in the past." She looked out at the Hollywood skyline. "She did it to teach me a lesson."

"Well, what is it you really wanna do then?" Zelena asked, a bit annoyed at her stubbornness.

"Fashion." Mal said quietly.

"What?" Lena couldn't quite hear her.

"Fashion." Mal said louder while standing up and walking closer to Regina, who wasn't really listening at the moment. "You can go to fashion school like you want." The blonde put a hand on Regina's shoulder and the young woman turned to face her once again.

"Except what do I do about money? I have nothing...and no job. The only other option would be asking Mom and Dad for help...and they'd never pay for me to go to fashion school….Well, Dad maybe, but not Mom."

It was silent for a moment while everyone tried to think of something. "Well…" Zelena said to Regina, looking at Maleficent. "...you could always-"

"No!" Mal demanded. "I won't let her make the same mistake I made. Doing what I do took away my dreams...I never want that to happen to you."

"No, no, no. Of course not." Zel said, standing also and walking into the family room to take a seat on a more comfortable chair. "It was just a joke."

Mal and Regina walked in to join her on the sofa. Regina plopped down, taking off her heels and laying her head on the back of the couch. "Plus, I don't want you going through the bullshit I went through this afternoon." Maleficent didn't exactly want to announce that event, but it just slipped out.

"What bullshit?" Regina lifted her head right away. Mal bit her tongue, not wanting to answer. "Mal, what bullshit?"

"It's fine. It was taken care of."

"Maleficent...What bullshit?" She repeated.

"It was nothing really. It wasn't the first time someone-"

"What the hell happened?" Regina was getting pissed.

Mal hesitated to answer, but she could tell that by the look on Regina's face she wasn't going to leave her alone until she knew. "James kind of tried something on me today."

"What?" Zelena said as Regina sat up.

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Did you tell him to stop?" The redhead wondered.

"Yes."

"Did he?"

"No. Not until Mr. Gold showed up asking what was wrong."

"How far did it go?" Regina asked, tensely.

"Regina-"

"What happened?!" Regina was firm, causing Zelena to feel afraid for her, remembering when something like this happened between her and Emma.

"Nothing. He just grabbed my ass, kissed my ear, and told me that we should hang out sometime. But obviously that's not going to happen." Mal answered like it was no big deal.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The brunette wondered.

"Regina-" Zelena tried to calm her sister.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She repeated, more forceful this time.

"Because...I didn't want you to worry." The blonde admitted.

"So you WEREN'T going to tell me?" She assumed.

"Well, I don't know."

"You don't know?" The youngest of the three pinched the bridge of her nose. "Did you really fight back or did you just continue to let him touch you?"

"I did what I could." Now Mal was raising her voice just a bit and she stood up from the sofa. "You know, if it wasn't for you telling everyone about my being a prostitute, then nothing would've even happened!"

"What?" Regina asked softly.

"Yeah. He told me that you told him and that's what prompted him to come put his slimy hands all over me."

"Oh, so this is MY fault. Okay. I see now." Regina nodded frustratingly and she stood, beginning to pace back and forth. Zelena watched awkwardly. "Did he offer to pay you?"

"What?"

Regina stopped pacing and looked at her, repeating slowly. "Did..he...offer...to pay you? Yes or no?"

"That doesn-"

"Ah, ah! Yes or no? That's all I'm asking. Did he?"

Mal took a second to answer. "Yes, but-"

"Of course! You're not trying to change, are you? You were going to take it, weren't you? Only Gold interrupted, so-"

"That is not what happened. He came on to me and I tried to push him away, but-"

"Not hard enough." Regina said under her breath with her hands on her hips.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Well, apparently YOU were when you told me that you wanted to stop, so yes. I am kidding you."

"Guys-" Zel, still sitting on the couch, tried to stop them.

"How immature."

"Immature?"

"Yes, I think this is the first time I've ever noticed how young you really are."

"Excuse me? Well, now is the first time I've ever noticed how slutty you really are."

"Regina!" Zelena yelled, still not comfortable enough to stand.

Mal let out a small chuckle. "Wow. You know what? Now I understand what men mean when they say that women overreact."

"How am I the one who's overreacting here?" Regina wondered.

"What? You think I am?"

"I know you are!"

"Oh, yeah? How?"

"I just asked a simple question and you flipped out on me!"

"I did not! You flipped out first because of something stupid that some guy did!"

"Well, with your background how could I not? You don't even know who Lily's father is!"

That was what hurt the most. Zelena stood now, seeing that the two had gradually moved closer to one another. They were about one or two feet away from each other now and Zelena was readying herself for anything.

"You know what…" Mal began quietly. "Maybe we rushed into this too fast."

"You know what?" Regina said rudely. "Maybe we did."

Mal scoffed at her attitude. "Get out. I'm not ready for this type of relationship."

"Fine. Lena, let's go." Regina bent over to pick up her shoes and headed for the door. "I'm glad we're leaving within the next week." The brunette said under her breath, but loud enough for Mal to hear as she reached the door, opening it to let Zelena out. "See you later!"

"Yeah, probably not!" The 38 year old yelled out to her as she practically slammed the door shut.

Regina leaned her back against the door after she shut it and she kicked it angrily behind her, grunting as she did so. On the other side of the door, inside the family room, Maleficent took off one of her own heels, throwing it at the door and Regina turned around, facing the door and hitting it with the palm of her hand.

Maleficent had began limping [because of wearing one heel] into the bedroom when she heard the girl hit the door again. She turned around staring at the door before taking off her second heel and throwing it at the white plank of wood also.

"Stop it!" Regina yelled through the barrier between them.

"No! You stop it!" Mal responded. "Act your age, Mama's girl!"

Regina screamed in frustration before entering the elevator. "Come on!" She yelled to Zelena who didn't know how to react right now and slowly stepped onto the elevator herself, the two returning to their own penthouse on the floor beneath Maleficent.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, readers! I know this chapter was really long and probably made a lot of you mad. Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the review section! Thank you! Mwah!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Okay, so this one is just as long as the last one, but I hope you like it! Shoutout to all my girls from twitter! Love you all! Mwah! May update again soon, I'm just in a huge writing mood today. Haha! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chap 20

"Ugh! I can't believe her!" Regina threw her shoes on the floor in the Mills' hotel suite. She sat down on the couch and began to take off her jewelry. "She seriously thinks that it's MY fault James was all over her? The man's a pig! Just like his father."

"Regina…" Zelena slowly walked in and leaned against the wall near the dining room, staring down at her sister. She held one arm at the inside of her elbow with the other.

"And then SHE tells ME that I'm overreacting!" Regina scoffed with a bit of a chuckle mixed in. "Whatever. I don't even care!"

"Yes, you do." Zelena rested her head against the wall.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do, Reggi. If you didn't care you wouldn't still be talking about it and you wouldn't be so hurt right now."

"I'm not hurt, I'm pissed."

"Well, you wouldn't be so pissed right now if you didn't care."

"Ha! Mama's girl! Ugh! You know, she always calls me that!" Regina stood up and walked into the bedroom, Lena following her. "I can't stand it!" She put the jewelry back in its box and began to unzip her dress. However, the zipper was not cooperating. "Oh my god! Can you help me?" She asked in an irritated tone. The redhead rolled her eyes before walking over and helping. "Thank you." Regina went over to her suitcase, taking out a white nightie. She let her dress fall to the floor and she put the nightie on over her head. After hanging the dress back up she walked back out of the bedroom, passing Zel by the doorway. "You know, maybe you were right. This relationship is not going to work out."

"That's-"

"I mean, come on. She's 38, I'm twenty. She's a wonderful mother, I couldn't even take care of Henry. I used to be a hard partier while she became what she is just so she could support her daughter. And not to mention...Mother. We're both women. Our society is still founded on hate. I have access to good money because of our parents and she has to sleep with someone to feed her three year old. It's just not meant to be."

"I don't believe that for a second." Zelena finally joined her back in the family room after listening from the doorway of the bedroom.

"What? Seriously?"

"Seriously. Everything happens for a reason and obviously you too were supposed to meet for something. Maybe you're supposed to change each other's lives." Lena sat down on one of the couches. "Come on...you had one fight and that's it? Regina, there are going to be many fights to come. It's the nature of a relationship. If you don't fight that means you're not willing to care enough about wanting them to understand your point of view. I mean, come on. The whole fight started because you were worried about her doing anything with James. Because you love her."

"Psh. I hardly know her."

"That didn't stop you from saying all those things at the matches this morning. You said you couldn't wait to see what else she could do for you for the rest of your lives."

"Well, I was blinded by a stupid little crush I had, okay?"

"You know what, fine. But I bet you that she's up there right now regretting everything she said."

"I doubt it. She probably just regrets we ever tried this. I was her first girlfriend, so she's nothing but nervous around me."

"Isn't that how everyone is with the person they love? Are you not nervous when you're around her?" Zelena waited for an answer, but when she didn't get one, she continued. "She's probably more scared of losing you than anything else. As you were when you heard what James had done. Now she's up there all alone. The least you can do is just go talk to her. Let her know it's going to be okay."

"But I don't know that it is."

"No one does. But you still tell the people you care about because you need to believe it yourself and telling them makes it feel true."

It was silent for a bit and Regina sat down on the sofa across from her sister. "I'm sorry we ruined tonight."

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that now you know how you feel about each other."

Regina took a moment to think before she whispered to herself. "We already did." She said sadly, remembering the first time they made love and admitted they loved each other.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Go." Zelena smiled and Regina grinned back at her, hoping that Mal will let her in as she stood up and practically ran to the door.

%&%&%&%&%&

Regina was anxious to get off the elevator and when she finally did, she walked as fast as possible to the door on the top floor. "Maleficent?" She knocked and waited. There was no response, so she knocked again. "Maleficent!?" She yelled a little louder. Still, nothing. She knocked harder. "Mal, please let me in. I don't wanna fight anymore. Please?" Suddenly, she realized...she hurt her. She remembered all the horrible things she said to her. ' _I called her a slut.'_ She grabbed the doorknob on the outside of the door with her left hand and her right hand held the door frame as she started to cry. She leaned her forehead against the door and the door opened. She hadn't even realized that she had turned the doorknob.

Her eyes opened when the door did and she slowly pushed it open some more. "Maleficent?" She called out into the penthouse. Again, there was no answer and she stepped inside, gently closing the door behind her. She saw both heels that Mal had thrown on the floor by her feet and she looked up, wondering if she'd see the blonde anywhere. There was no sign of her and Regina walked into the dining room. Not there. She thought of the balcony and decided she wouldn't be there because of her fear.

She decided she'd check the room, but there was no one. ' _Where would she have gone?'_ She decided she'd go back into the family room, but she finally noticed a familiar sound. She looked to the door next to the closet in the bedroom before slowly walking over to it. "Mal? Can I come in, please?" Again, no answer and Regina was beginning to hate herself. "I regret what I said and I take it all back. I don't want this to end. Can you forgive me? I was wrong to say all the things I did and I was wrong to accuse you of anything with James." It was still silent, except for the familiar sound...the running water of the shower. "Can you hear me?" She asked a little louder and there was still no answer, so she slowly opened the door, feeling the heat from all the steam. "Mal?"

"What are you doing here?" Mal asked softly in a tone that sounded as if she knew she were there all along.

"I don't want to be done. I regret what I-"

"Yeah, I know. I heard you through the door." The blonde responded sadly from inside the shower. "But I don't think I can continue this."

"Why not?" Regina hated that she felt the same way a bit.

"It's just too much. And it's wrong and impossible and I don't want anyone to get hurt from this. We're putting ourselves in danger if we take this any further. I'm sorry." She looked up, letting the water hit her face when she finished speaking.

"Maleficent, please." Regina's voice cracked. She hated not being able to look into her eyes right now. "We can't end this now."

"It never even had a chance to start, Regina. You're young so you might not understand that, but it's true. We never really had a relationship."

"So, what are you saying that you just wanna be friends?" The brunette was hurt.

"We probably shouldn't. But it's for the best."

"No." Regina refused to give up. "It's not. I don't want to quit because I know that this can work. We just need some time."

"I don't have much time, Regina. Pretty soon I'm going to be too old for anyone to want me and I'm probably gonna die alone. But that's fine. I've accepted that. But I don't want to waste anymore of my time through fantasies and regrets."

"Regrets? You regret this?"

It took Mal a moment to respond. "A little. I never thought I'd be in this position before."

"What position?" Regina leaned up against the sink. "Admitting that you're different and you can fall for someone like me?" She obviously meant a girl.

"I'm sorry, Regina." She closed her eyes, running her hands through her soaking hair. "You should marry David. He's a nice guy and you both deserve to be happy. You have your whole future ahead of you and I'm not going to take that away." Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she opened her eyes, slowly looking over it to see that Regina had climbed in behind her, still in her white nightie.

Regina slowly caressed the back of her shoulder with her right hand before finally, her left hand reached up and did the same to her other shoulder. Soon, she kissed Mal's back and slid her hands down and around her waist, just to hold her for a second, her eyes closed.

She let go and Maleficent turned around while Regina's hair became more and more doused with water and her nipples began to show through her nightie. Mal hated herself for looking at them as she still didn't feel right being with a woman. Neither of them knew what to say, but Regina carefully stood on her tippy toes to give her a kiss. She started to cry as she noticed that Mal wasn't kissing back and she pulled away, devastated. Even though she was now soaked, Mal could clearly see the young girl's tears and she hated having to break her heart.

"Mal, please."

"I'm sorry. I can't."

"But-" Regina choked out a broken sob. "But I love you." She grabbed one of Mal's hands. "And you love me too. I know you do. You're just too scared to admit it and it's just because I'm a girl. Well, if I wasn't one you wouldn't care. But no one can love you more than I do or more than I will in the future. Please, don't give up on us. We can make it work." She kissed Mal's hand. "We had one stupid fight and it was all my fault and I'm sorry. It's nothing to ruin this. All the loving things we've said...they're true and they're still there through this stupid thing." She kissed Maleficent's forearm. "I know I'm young, but I do know my feelings and I know that I really want to get to know you better and I don't want this to die just because of how complicated this could get. Just loving each other can make it easier." She brought her left hand up to Mal's hip and she pulled it toward her. "You're so beautiful inside and out and I love everything about you. Your hair, your lips, your gorgeous eyes, the way you talk, the way you treat Lily, the way you say my name, the way you touch me, and the way you faced your fear out on that balcony just for me." Regina moved in closer to her so their bodies were touching. "The way you told me that you were proud of me when no one else was." She leaned in for another kiss and just before their lips touched she said, "The way you love that I love you."

Regina kissed her again and Maleficent felt those same butterflies as she did during their first kiss. She felt her head about to explode and she tried her hardest to hold back the tears that formed in her icy blue orbs. She still refused to kiss back and she pushed Regina away shouting, "You stupid girl!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: So, here's this chapter...Finally, my little sister kept interrupting me and it kind of kills the mood of writing something like this. Anyway, hope you enjoy this and…..beware! ;P**

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Chap 21

Maleficent turned the shower off and quickly got out grabbing a towel nearby, leaving Regina standing in there as if she couldn't move. For a moment, Regina felt like she was going to collapse, but the feeling in her chest urged her to follow Mal into the bedroom. Her nightie dripping to the floor. She just stood in the bathroom doorway, watching Maleficent, with her back to her, drying her hair with a smaller towel. "Maleficent." Regina said to the blonde who stood near the bed. The older woman ignored her and continued to dry her hair. "Maleficent." Regina repeated, and still, nothing. Mal finished drying her hair and she threw the towel near the door. She kept her back to Regina, pretending that she wasn't there. She hoped that if she ignored her long enough then she would just leave."Mal, look at me." Nothing. "Maleficent, look at me please."

Suddenly, Mal just stopped moving. "You need to leave." She slightly looked over her shoulder.

"I won't."

Maleficent didn't want to change with her in there, so she just stood. "Please, go."

"No. I'm not leaving." Regina responded with more tears. "Never."

Finally, Mal turned around to face her and she clenched onto the towel wrapped around her. "Regina, please don't make this harder." Regina looked down and it was now that she realized her nightie was soaking the floor. But she didn't care. "It's over." The blonde tried to get her to leave. She was starting to think about just going into the bathroom to change, but Regina was in the way.

"Is it your heart that's telling you that? Or your mind?" Regina asked sadly. "Your heart is what matters and if your heart is telling you that it's over...fine, I'll leave. But if it's your mind, then I'm not going to let you do this."

"Do what?" Mal asked in an annoyed tone.

"Hurt yourself." The young girl walked over to her so they were only a couple inches apart. "Fine, hurt me, but I won't let you put yourself in pain. So, tell me...is it your heart or your mind?" There was silence. "And don't forget...I know when you're lying." Regina decided to add.

Maleficent thought for a moment and something urged her to look down at Regina's lips, then back up into her eyes. She wanted to put her acting skills to good use, but had a feeling that Regina would still be able to tell.

The long silence crept up on Regina. She couldn't take it anymore and she stepped away. "Fine. I'm leaving." Before she even had time to turn and walk towards the door, Maleficent had slammed her lips into Regina's. She tightly held onto the young girl's face as she slid her tongue into her mouth. Regina's eyes widened and she couldn't breathe as she shockingly stared at the wall behind Maleficent. She felt the woman's towel fall to their feet. Her eyes filled with tears again and she finally closed them, grabbing onto Mal's wrists as they held her own cheeks. Maleficent couldn't help but whimper from the tears that had finally fallen from her own eyes and the kiss grew more passionate as Regina moaned, pressing her wet body into Mal's.

Maleficent moved her hands down Regina's neck and onto her shoulders where she pushed both of the brunette's nightie straps down, letting it fall to the floor with the towel. The older woman squeezed Regina's shoulders, massaging them as her hands floated down, down further and further until they reached her hips.

She had no clue what made her do it, but Mal picked up Regina so she was now straddling her and she sat down on the bed behind her. Regina's hands had now moved up to Mal's breasts, urging her nipples to grow harder and soon, she pushed the blonde back so she was laying down over the covers.

Regina let out a small scream when Maleficent caught her off guard, pushing two fingers in as soon as she laid back, when the young girl had least expected it. Mal pumped them in and out, sitting up to suck on Regina's right breasts, giving her tiny bites every now and then. Mal didn't know what it was, but there was something better about the way a woman moaned than the way a man did. The girl's voice was softer and more arousing. You can hear every breath a woman takes when she's fighting the urge to scream. In all her years of selling her body to men, Mal realized that sex with Regina was much better. She could hear Regina's heart beating and she felt the butterflies again. Her tears landed on Regina's bare skinned chest and she added one more finger, causing Regina to look up at the ceiling, her hips bucking into Mal's hand.

The brunette's moans had Maleficent shaking and she began to grow wet at her core. She kissed her chest and moved her kisses up until she reached Regina's neck, biting it. The twenty year old screamed and bucked her hips faster, egging Maleficent on. The blonde increased her speed and she added one more finger, feeling Regina's walls beginning to close around her slender digits. Mal sucked at her neck harder and she knew it was coming soon when Regina's cries grew louder, shorter, and faster. "I love you, Maleficent." Regina tried her hardest to say in between moans and upon hearing her name, Mal's fingers moved even faster and harder.

Then it came, the three long moans Mal had been waiting for at the end, the last one the longest. Regina's breaths were short and heavy and her chest heaved as she left no time for Mal to prepare when she added two of her own fingers into Maleficent, who had not finished bringing Regina down from her high yet.

Maleficent lulled her head back and she whimpered, trying her hardest to keep slowly pumping her own digits into Regina. But she had a hard time as she began to shake, her legs growing weaker and weaker underneath Regina's. The younger of the two noticed and she used her free hand to push Mal's right shoulder back, forcing her to lay down again.

Mal obeyed and when her back hit the bed, she brought her fingers up to her mouth, sucking at them, then putting them in Regina's mouth as well. Regina then added another finger and Maleficent pulled her in for a sloppy kiss. "I admit it." Mal said when they broke the kiss. "I do love you." She let out a loud breath of air as she gasped from the bite Regina gave her left breast.

The brunette smiled and lifted her head. "I knew it." She giggled and returned to kissing Mal's stomach, moving the kisses down until she reached her core, biting at it. The older of the two clenched the bed covers as hard as possible and she couldn't help but sit up, grabbing Regina's long, dark hair as she went down on her.

Regina reached her free hand up, wrapping it around Maleficent's knee as she dug her nails into her inner thigh. The young girl couldn't help but whimper herself and she started to cry, sucking harder and moving her fingers faster and faster. Maleficent grabbed the hand that was clenched around her knee and she brought it up to her mouth, kissing it and sucking her fingers, egging Regina on more. The brunette added one more finger and pumped harder.

She continued to move her fingers in and out of Maleficent, but she stopped sucking so she could gently kiss her. The blonde slightly tasted her own juices on her woman's soft lips. Mal opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out and grazing Regina's lips with it. She didn't know that Regina was going to do the same thing, their tongues intertwining. Suddenly, Maleficent embraced the tasteful pain Regina was intensifying with her skillful digits and she bit her lip from screaming. She tried to force herself to stay quiet when she felt Regina's tongue now travelling down her neck and to her chest once more. "Regina." She moaned, tightly scrunching her eyes closed as she fought back the screams.

She began to buck her hips into Regina's hand and she let out short and fast whimpers. She squeezed the blanket underneath her one more time with her left hand as her right hand wrapped around Regina's small figure. Now it was her turn. She began to feel the tingling in her muscle as she kissed the top of Regina's head that lay on her chest. Suddenly, the twenty year old pulled her head back to watch the expressions on her woman's face. "Say it again." She practically whispered. Mal couldn't as she was trying hard not to scream. "I need to hear you say it." Regina urged, moving her fingers faster and harder.

"I-" Mal tried, whimpering again. "I-lo-love you!" And with that, she screamed, Regina smiling as she felt her walls close around her fingers. The brunette waited for Maleficent's breathing to slow down before pulling her fingers out to taste them.

Once she had the strength, Maleficent sat up on her knees like Regina did. They kissed again and again, their bodies touching and their hands feeling each other's backs as if they would never let go.


	22. Chapter 22

Chap 22

After a few more kisses, they just looked at each other. Regina looked at her girlfriend's long, wet hair and she gently pushed a strand behind the blonde's ear. Maleficent gave her a weak smile and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. The sparkle that was there everytime she looked at the young girl caused a lump to grow in her throat and she rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Regina held her tight in her arms and she loved the sweet, gentle strokes on her opposite shoulder as Mal softly caressed it. "I'm so sorry." Maleficent whispered referring to her denial of loving her before.

Regina let a few slow tears fall from their home and she too rested her head on one of Mal's shoulders, closing her eyes and smelling the sweet scent of shampoo and body wash on the older woman. She kissed her shoulder and lifted her head, Mal doing the same and they smiled at each other once more before laying down facing each other. They held hands on the pillows and both closed their eyes. Moments passed and eventually Mal reopened them.

She reached her left hand up to brush the twenty year old's cheek with the back of her hand. It wasn't until now that she realized the young girl had fallen asleep. She couldn't help but lean over, placing a small kiss on the brunette's nose. When she opened her eyes again and put her head back to where it was, her left hand found its way down to Regina's side and Mal caressed her soft, olive skin.

Mal decided she'd try to fall asleep for a bit too, but once her eyes closed, she heard a sound, jumping up and realizing that it was the front door of the penthouse opening. She gasped and turned to shake Regina out of her slumber. "Regina. Regina, get up." The brunette slowly awoke. "Gold's back. You have to get up." Mal whispered.

With that, Regina startled wide awake and she sat up as fast as possible, her hair disheveled and parted to the side she had fallen asleep on. Mal stood quickly, grabbing Regina's still wet nightie and handing it to her when she stood as well. Regina struggled with the gown while Mal tried to figure out what she would put on. She felt she had no time to look for anything, so she picked up the towel by the bed and began to wrap it around herself.

It didn't matter anyway. "Maleficent? Are you in here?" They heard Gold's voice approaching the door and Regina thought of hiding somewhere, but it was too late. The door opened and each turned to look at him in fear.

Gold almost dropped his walking stick upon the sight. Mal was poorly clutching the towel to her body and Regina had on a soaking nightgown, which was inside out and one of the straps was falling down. Each were standing on either side of the bed and by the looks on their faces, he could tell they were just caught doing something. The girls both moved to the foot of the bed and Mal stood in front of the shorter woman to hide her obviously see through garment.

"Gold." Maleficent put a hand up in defense, still holding the towel with the other. "I can explain. Uh-" She looked at Regina behind her and then back to him, feeling the shaking girl that held her bare back as if for protection. "Please, don't tell her parents. We-" She didn't even know what to say as she stared at him just standing there, no movement, no expression on his face.

It was quiet for a long time...too long and Regina started to silently cry, resting her head against the blonde's back. Maleficent's free hand reached behind her, holding Regina's back for comfort and she waited patiently for him to say something...anything. It was amazing to her how well they switched roles in the relationship when needed. There were many times when she was the shaking, crying mess and Regina would be as calm as the sea, finding the best ways to calm her as well. But there are other times, like this one, where Mal could just hold and comfort Regina during certain situations. Finally, someone spoke breaking the painful silence.

"I just came to tell you that I'm going out and may not be back til morning." Gold said as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Regina lifted her head in shock and Maleficent was confused. He turned to leave.

"Uh, wait-" Mal began. "Gold, you-"

"Don't worry, Dearie. I won't tell them." He continued to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mal wondered aloud.

He stopped just as he reached the door and said, "You have your secrets...and I have mine. I may leave from time to time. You don't ask again as long as I keep this a secret. Deal?" He didn't even wait for an answer before stepping out of the hotel room and closing the door, leaving the two alone to process what just happened.

The blonde had no idea what to think of everything, but she felt a bit of a lifted weight off her shoulders. She had been afraid that he would ask to do something while trying to stay only for Regina and now she knew that he might not, now knowing about them. She let out a sigh of relief and turned around to face the still nervous Regina.

"Hey," Mal said in a comforting voice. "It's gonna be fine." She smiled, cupping her cheeks with both hands. She kissed Regina's forehead and pulled her in for a hug, their closeness keeping Maleficent's towel from falling.

The young girl's arms, wrapped around the tall blonde, fell limp and she pulled away from the hug, walking over to the bed to sit on it. Mal held onto her towel, following her and sitting beside her. They were silent for a bit until Mal finally spoke. "What are you thinking about?" She wondered, staring at the floor in front of her.

"I don't know." Regina answered, staring ahead of herself as well.

Silence...again. The older woman turned and looked at the blank face of her lover. "You're not having second thoughts, are you? Because I'm pretty locked in now and it was your idea to stay together." Mal said, trying to make her girlfriend smile...It worked and Regina giggled.

"No. I'm just thinking about the dream I had?"

Mal lovingly looked at the long, dark eyelashes that fluttered everytime the twenty year old blinked, looking down at the floor still. "What was it about?"

Regina finally turned to look up at her and she smiled. "You." She couldn't resist reaching for one of Maleficent's hands. "You ARE my dream."

"Regina-"

"And I guess I never realized how much I was missing in the life I used to lead. Now I feel like I have everything I needed."

Mal smiled, blushing a bit. "And so do I."

"I hope so. Because you have something that's very important to me."

Maleficent pulled her head back in confusion. "I do?"

The brunette nodded. "My heart." Mal couldn't help but let a gasp of air escape her as her chest heaved and Regina brought the hand that she held up to her chest where her heart grew. Maleficent felt the beating of her heart through her wet gown and her blushing skin. This was when she realized that as long as she lived, she needed to know that that heart was beating.

"I promise not to lose it. And I promise to take great care of it." Mal looked down for a moment before looking back up again. "I know it may be too soon...but I need you to take care of mine as well."

Regina's eyes widened a bit, unaware that she too had stolen a heart. As if it were a reflex, her other hand reached up and touched Maleficent's heart as she moved even closer to her woman. They each leaned forward as if they were going to kiss each other on the cheek, but instead they just felt both cheeks touching, holding them there for a second before Mal pulled back and giggled saying, "I told you to stop being so sappy."

Regina laughed and they each let go of each other's hearts jst to simply hold hands. "Only if YOU stop being so sappy." The young girl accused her.

Mal chuckled. "Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen." They both giggled again and hugged.

The hug lasted a while and the blonde kissed the twenty year old's shoulder before slowly sliding her hands down to rid her of her cold and wet garment.


	23. Chapter 23

Chap 23

Maleficent successfully rid Regina of her wet nightie and she cupped the young woman's breast as the brunette moved in for a kiss. Mal closed her eyes and embraced the pounding in her chest as Regina's hand gently slid up the older woman's bare leg. The twenty year old smiled into the kiss as she reached down to tease the blonde's clit. Maleficent moaned but her eyes opened in a sudden realization, a memory from something said during their first fight. She didn't know why she was remembering this now, but it caused her to pull her head away, stopping the kiss as her own hand seized the teasing of Regina's nipple. "Wait." She said softly, reaching down to grab her woman's hand and stopping her own pleasure.

"What?" Regina looked at her in confusion.

"You're really leaving soon?" Mal asked sadly, recalling that Regina said their family was not going to stay in the hotel much longer during their little spat.

First, Regina said nothing, she just thought about it for a second, letting it sink in herself. "Oh." She turned her body away from Mal and looked down at the floor beside the bed.

Mal did the same thing and they just sat there as if each were thinking of a plan. The aspiring actress held Regina's hand for a moment before standing and walking over to the closet. She grabbed a simple red dress, walking over to Regina and handing it to her so she had something dry to wear. After the brunette took it, she returned to the closet grabbing a similar black dress for herself. She put it over her head and Regina did the same thing, but she never moved.

Maleficent finished putting the dress on and she looked at Regina, sitting there, still thinking. She hated seeing her like this. She sighed and looked down at her own feet trying to find a way to make her feel better. After a moment she slowly walked over to the young girl, kneeling down in front of her so Regina would see her, as she wasn't looking up. Mal put her hands on Regina's knees and rubbed soft circles on them to try and comfort her. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. The blonde looked up into the sad brown eyes and they looked back, causing the brunette to smile just a bit and she moved her hands to hold the older woman's on her own knees.

After seeing her smile, Mal smiled back and slowly stood, still holding her hands. She stepped back a bit, giving the young girl some room to stand as well. Her arms stretched out in front of her as if she would pull the brunette up if she didn't stand herself. Regina looked up at her and tilted her head to the side as if she were saying, " _fine"_ and she found the little strength she had in her legs to get up from the bed.

Mal walked back a bit more, forcing Regina to step away from the bed and she did. The blonde interlocked her fingers with the young girl's and she stepped close to the woman, putting one of Regina's hands on her shoulder and moving her own to the brunette's hip and holding tight to the other hand. She pulled the twenty year old into her own body and rested her forehead to Regina's for a moment before slowly beginning to move her feet in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Finally, Regina realized what she was doing and she couldn't help but grin again and she even let out a petite giggle, embracing the small dance to no music. But she knew they didn't need music, they just moved to the beat of their own hearts. They were each other's melodies. Finally after a bit, Regina got more and more comfortable and she eventually let her chin fall to Maleficent's shoulder and Mal hugged her even tighter.

Soon they stopped moving, but never let go of each other. Maleficent felt Regina take a deep breath against her and when she let it out, it was almost as if letting out all of the negative feelings...at least for now. Hearing her breathe calmly, also calmed Maleficent who then closed her eyes, smiling herself and resting her chin on top of Regina's head of long, thick, dark hair.

They were startled when all of a sudden they heard a banging on the door. They let go of each other and walked out into the family room, going to the door to open it. "Zelena." Regina said as Mal opened it.

Zelena took a second to look at Regina's new gown and wet hair before she shook her head as if telling herself to focus on what mattered at the moment. "We need to go." She says to her younger sister. "Mum and Dad called. They're on their way back." She gestured for Regina to follow her into the hallway. The younger of the three's eyes widened and she took her big sister's hand, leaving the penthouse.

Just as they were about to reach the elevator, Regina turned and ran back, giving Maleficent a kiss and smiling at her as she held her hand for a second. "I love you." The blonde smiled and giggled as the younger one ran away, almost falling as she entered the elevator and laughing along with the redhead.

"I love you too!" Maleficent finally called out and she leaned against the doorway, watching the elevator doors closing. She stared at the elevator for a bit even after it was closed. She shook her head a bit and went back inside the hotel room.

After she closed the door, she looked around the empty suite, finally realizing that now she was alone. But she didn't care, because her soul was not alone.


	24. Chapter 24

Chap 24

Regina and Zelena finally reached the floor beneath Maleficent's and they ran inside, hoping their parents hadn't arrived yet. "Mother?" Regina yelled as Zelena closed the door behind her. There was no answer and they both let out a sigh of relief before walking into the family room and throwing themselves down on the sofa.

"So, it went well?"

"What?" Regina asked, staring ahead.

"Well, judging by your new dress you didn't get into a fight and change your clothes."

"Huh? Oh." Regina blushed, looking down at Maleficent's dress. "Crap! I left my night gown up there."

"Well, it's too late now." Zelena stated and Regina sent her a glare. "So, what happened?" Regina smiled and Zelena closed her eyes. "Don't tell me everything obviously. But sum it up."

The twenty year old giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at first she didn't want to go through with it, but I…'convinced' her." She saw the look on her sister's face that suggested that was too much information and she decided to add to that. "Then Mr. Gold dropped by."

The redhead gasped. "Oh no, what happened?" The older sister was worried until, "Ew. He didn't see anything, did he?"

"Lena, no!"

"Oh, good. Well, what'd he say?"

"He said that he wouldn't tell anyone. Then he left." Regina said matter of factly.

"That was it? He just left?"

"Yes. Franky, it didn't seem like he cared much. He looked as if he had his own issues to deal with."

"Wow. Okay. Do you think he'll keep it to himself?"

"I do." Regina smiled at her and Zelena smiled back.

"So, you and Mal are alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine." The youngest grinned for a second but then soon her expression softened.

"What is it?" Zelena asked, a bit worried.

Regina sighed. "It doesn't matter because these might be our last days together." She paused. "Mom said we're leaving the hotel soon." She looked at her hands in her lap. "How are we supposed to make this work?"

Zelena grabbed one of her hands and she looked back at the redhead. "Reggi, Mum told me over the phone that we might be staying a bit longer than she said. Dad has been having trouble getting this business transaction to go through."

"Still, Mr. Gold isn't going to be here forever."

"Honey, Gold is Dad's new partner."

"What?"

"Yes. Mr. Gold and Dad joined companies a couple days ago."

"How do you know all this?" Regina wondered, feeling a little better.

"I'm pretty good at eavesdropping."

Regina remembered her being in the bathroom stall at the polo match and she laughed. "You have a problem, Lena."

"I know." The oldest giggled. "So there, you don't have to worry anymore."

Regina sighed again, remembering something else. "Gold may be here longer, but he's only paying Mal to be here for another few days."

"Regina, what did she say to you when we got on that elevator tonight?"

"What?"

"What did she say to you when we got on the elevator?" Zelena repeated slowly.

"I don't know, uh, I love you too?"

"She loves you. So you know what...I feel like she'll stay here with him as long as you're here, whether she's getting paid or not."

"How are my two favorite girls doing?" Both turned their heads when Henry opened the door to their penthouse.

"Oh, Henry please. Don't coddle them. They're not little girls anymore." Cora said when she walked through the door as he held it open for her.

Zelena and Regina gave each other the _oh-my-god_ look and they both stood up to walk to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Cora wondered.

"We're going to bed?" Zelena lied.

"It's pretty late, Mom." Regina added.

"Alright, well good night." Cora yelled to them as they moved further and further from her.

"Good night, Mum." Zelena said, dragging Regina by the hand into the room. "Night, Daddy."

"Good night, Dad." Regina said and Henry nodded to them both as they fled the family room and entered their bedroom.

Zelena shut the door and Regina sat down on the bed. "Ugh! What is her problem?"

"She's broken." Lena said.

"What?"

"She's broken, Regina. After what Jonathon did to her, she's been messed up, almost like she's taken her own heart right out of her chest so as to never get hurt again. Therefore, she doesn't have feelings. She doesn't know how to feel."

"I guess I never thought of it like that." Regina looked straight ahead, thinking of how much that made sense. "What made you think of that?"

"Victor...Jonathon. They've both made me think of doing that myself. It wasn't until I met Jonathon and he slammed the door right in my face, my own father, denying all relation to me that I noticed, Mum must have felt the same way."

"But Father...He's given her so much since all that happened. He's done nothing but love her."

"She's too blind to see it." Zelena joined her on the bed. "But you and Maleficent...now that's something to look forward to. That's real love." The redhead changed the subject.

"Sshhh...They might hear you." Regina whispered.

"Oh, please. They're too busy worrying about their business issues." Regina sighed and they sat for a moment. "So, what are you and Mal planning on doing?"

"You didn't eavesdrop on us to find out yourself?" Regina joked. "I thought you were such a natural?"

"Ha ha." Zelena said sarcastically as she glared at her.

Regina giggled before answering seriously. "We don't know yet. You came knocking on the door before we had a chance to discuss it."

"Well, I'm sorry. Would you rather I left you there and Mum and Dad found out that you were upstairs with the prostitute?"

"Former." Regina corrected.

"Former prostitute." Zelena added.

"Alright fine." Regina responded, rolling her eyes. "But the whole point is that we don't know yet."

Zelena thought for a moment. Her eyes lit up and she laid her head back on her pillow, pulling the blanket up over her. "Well, we'll figure it out." She said.

"What?" Regina was confused as to what all of that was about.

"We'll figure it out." Lena repeated. "But right now, my baby is very tired, so I'm going to bed." She turned the lamp off that sat on the stand near her side of the bed.

"Zelena."

"Good night, Reggi." The redhead rested on her side and closed her eyes.

Regina stared at her sister and chuckled. "Okay? Good night?" She stood up and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She had planned on changing into another night gown, but she didn't as she wanted to fall asleep smelling Maleficent on her red dress. So she turned the overhead light off and laid down next to her sister, turning off the lamp on her side of the bed when she did so.

She stared up into the darkness in the room for a while before her curiosity began to eat away at her. "Zelena." She whispered.

"Hmm?" The tired sister groaned, almost asleep now.

Regina sighed. "Nevermind." She decided not to bug her about it anymore and she closed her eyes. "Good night, Sis."

"Mmm."

They both smiled, it wasn't until now that they both realized they really had missed one another. And they each fell asleep unaware that they both felt the same way.


	25. Chapter 25

Chap 25

Regina woke up when she saw the sun beating through the hotel bedroom window and she turned over in the bed. She hummed, smiling for a new fresh morning. Her eyes blinked open and she sat up, yawning. She cleared her throat and looked over at the other side of the bed, realizing that Zelena wasn't there. "Zelena?" She called out, wondering if she was in the bathroom. She turned and saw that the bathroom door was wide open with no one in there and she swung her legs over the side of the bed, wondering where she might've gone.

She slowly stood up, stretching and walking into the bathroom, turning on the sink. She checked to make sure it was the right temperature before cupping her hands, dipping them in, and wetting her face. She did this almost every morning, believing that it helped wake her up some more. Once she dried her face, she looked up in the mirror and jumped, letting out a small yelp.

"Mother, you scared me."

"Your sister went out for a minute."

"Okay, did she say where she was going?" Regina walked out of the bathroom passed her mother and she sat down on the bed.

"No. She didn't."

Regina nodded and she sighed looking away from Cora standing by the bathroom still. She saw in the corner of her eye that she did not take her eyes off of her. She looked back and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just, work is definitely getting the better of me lately. All these late business meetings and we're getting nowhere."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Regina didn't know what to say or how to console her mother. "How long ago did Lena leave?" She couldn't think of the right thing to say in this situation, so she just kept the conversation going by asking more about Zelena's disappearance this morning.

"Can't remember." Cora started for the door.

"Mama?" Regina called after her.

"Yes, darling?"

Her youngest daughter hesitated and looked down at her own hands for just a second before looking back up to her. "I love you." She didn't even know where that came from, but she knew that she meant it, especially when Cora gave her the weak smile before turning and walking out of the bedroom. She sighed when she left and stood up, walking over to the closet to look for something else to wear, even though she knew she never wanted to take Mal's dress off. But she knew that eventually she'd have to give it back to her.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%

"Maleficent?!" Zelena knocked on the top floor penthouse door. "Maleficent?" She waited a bit before knocking again. "Mal! It's Zelena. I need to talk to you." She knocked one more time.

Finally, the door opened, revealing Mal with her eyes half open and her hair disheveled. "Hey, what is it?" She said, her voice hoarse from still being half asleep.

"Can I come in?" Lena wondered and Mal nodded slightly, moving to the side to let her walk passed her. She leisurely closed the door and followed Zelena into the family room. "May I?" The redhead pointed to one of the couches asking if she could take a seat.

The older woman gestured toward the sofa, telling her it was okay and took a seat herself, hoping she wouldn't fall back to sleep. "What's going on?" She wondered, yawning.

"How much do you really love my sister?"

Mal woke up a bit more, recognizing this as one of those big sister talks where she's being all protective of her sibling and she needs to be impressed to let this go any further. "Very much."

"How much?" Zelena sort of wanted details. "So much that you would do anything to make sure you were never separated?"

"I love her even more than that." She paused, thinking of the past few days and realizing she'd be the empty, lonely prostitute if she had never met Regina. "I love her so much that I would give my life to save her." Zelena smiled, not expecting more to come. "I love her so much that I would feel dead if we ever were separated...I just had a hard time sleeping, thinking about the fact that you could be leaving soon and I wasn't holding her in my arms last night." She said that last part more to herself, not intending for Zelena to hear it, but it just popped out.

"I know a way to make it impossible for anyone to ever split you two up."

"What?"

"But you've got to be willing to do something a bit crazy and impulsive. Would you?"

"Yes. I'd do anything. What'd you have in mind?"

Zelena's face lit up and she began to tell Mal her plan.

%&%&%&%&%&%&

While she waited for her sister's return, Regina got bored in the hotel room after breakfast while her dad did some paperwork and she just sat there listening to her mother rant on the phone to one of her rich friends about one of their other "friends." So the twenty year old headed down to the hotel lobby for a while, just to take a walk and get her mind off of things.

Just as she got off the elevator, she turned a corner, bumping into David and almost falling to the floor, but he instinctively put his hands out, grabbing her to keep her on her feet. "Oh! I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He asked immediately.

"I'm alright. Are you okay?" He nodded and finally let go of her. "I'm sorry. My mind's on a hundred different things right now."

"Don't worry about it. So is mine." He admitted. "What are you roaming about down here for?"

"Had to get away from my mother. You?"

"Had to get away from my father." They both laughed.

"Sooo...How's your brother?" Regina asked with a bit of disdain in her voice, remembering how much of pig James was.

"Well, James is James. He's always doing well." He rolled his eyes, resenting his twin. "How's your sister? Uh, Zelena, right?"

"Zelena's good. I was actually going to see if I could find her. She's the one who left me all alone up there."

"Oh. I'm sorry." David chuckled. "Well, I'll let you get back to...roaming." He said awkwardly.

"And you too." She replied in the same tone.

They tried to walk around each other, but they both stepped to the same side, then again, and again. So, he stepped aside charmingly and she awkwardly giggled, walking by him and slowly looking back once she was about a couple feet away. He turned and looked back at her also and they both weakly smiled at each other before going their separate ways.

She sighed and walked over to the main counter, where Ruby was flirting with a man she's known for years, the man who delivered her and Maleficent room service the other night. "Hey Ruby, Peter. Have you two seen the blonde woman staying with Mr. Gold anywhere?"

"I'm sorry, we haven't." The slender clerk replied, playing with Peter's fingers in her own.

"What about my sister?"

"I haven't." Peter answered while smiling at Ruby.

"I have actually." Ruby remembered. "When I was hanging out with Mary Margaret this morning, Zelena was there."

"In the shop?" Regina asked for clarification.

"Mhm." The taller woman smiled brightly and resumed her flirtatious attitude with the dark haired man.

"Thank you." Regina turned to head towards the boutique when she stopped herself and she turned to smile at the two. "Does Granny know about the two of you?"

Ruby instantly straightened her posture and Peter did the same. "No." The woman said, clearing her throat. "Please don't tell her. She doesn't care that I'm her granddaughter, she'll still fire me."

"And I really need this job to pay for school." Peter added.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed. Just don't let anyone else catch you." Regina winked and left while the other two let out a sigh of relief and decided to return to working to stay on Granny's good side.

"Hey, Mary Margaret."

"Oh, hey Regina." The girl with the pixie cut sighed.

"Bad day?" Regina could always tell when she was depressed.

"It hasn't been too bad."

"Then why the long face?"

Mary Margaret tilted her head to the side as she sadly looked passed Regina's right shoulder. Regina turned to follow her gaze and saw a lovely couple, about in their mid thirties, holding hands and smiling. Regina looked down at the floor before turning back around to look at the poor young woman around her age. "I'm gonna die alone."

"Mary Margaret, don't say that."

"I am. I've never had that with anybody."

"Oh, I'm sure there was one person." Regina tried to cheer her up.

"I thought there was once. But eventually he told me that he just wanted to be friends." She looked down and quietly said, "That's what all the guys say."

Feeling a sudden sense of deja vu, Regina remembered where she'd heard something like that before. Her eyes lit up and she touched Miss Blanchard's hand on the counter in between them. "I'll be right back." She said before padding her hand and running out of the shop.

"Regina, slow down." Ruby said as the younger girl ran towards the front desk.

"Sorry, I can't right now."

"If you get hurt it's your fault!" The taller woman yelled at her as she booked it passed her. "She better not sue me or the hotel for it." She whispered to herself when she looked away from Regina.

"Hey!" The twenty year old stopped once she found who she was looking for.

"Hey. Whoa! I didn't know you were a runner." The tall sandy haired man joked as he watched her try to catch her breath.

"I'm not." She panted.

"Then why were you running?" He wondered. "In the hotel?" He added, laughing.

"I wanted to catch you before you got on the elevator."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't even going on the elevator, so you can calm down now." He put his hands on her shoulders as if that would help her catch her breath faster.

Her breathing finally slowed down a bit and she said, "You should come with me."

"Okay. Where are we going?"

"Just, come on." She grabbed his hand and started to lead him toward the hotel shop. "Mary Margaret…" She said, finally able to breathe normally again. "...This is David. David, Mary Margaret."

"Hello." He smiled, shaking her hand and she blushed.

"Hi." She responded shyly.

"I think you two should get to know each other." Regina grinned and she reveled in the looks they gave each other. "Hey, did you see my sister in here earlier? Ruby said you did."

"Yeah, she came in." Mary Margaret said, still looking at David.

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"No. She didn't say where she was going."

Regina sighed. "Ugh! Thanks."

"No problem."

Regina turned to leave and she was proud of herself for introducing them, but she decided to go upstairs to see Maleficent.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Oh my goodness! I'm so sad to announce that we're nearing the end of the story. I hope you have enjoyed it. I absolutely had a blast writing it, but unfortunately all stories must come to an end. I really hope you're satisfied with it. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for new stories. I love you guys and thanks so much for reading! MWAH!**

* * *

Chap 26

*Three Days Later*

"Wait! Tell me how you found out again?" Regina said to Mal as they cuddled on the bed in Gold's penthouse.

"Well," Maleficent laughed. "...after Mr. Gold gave me the money he owed me, I went home to see Lily and to give Belle some of it for rent."

"And?" Regina was excited to hear the rest.

"And for a couple days she'd been telling me, 'Oh I have a date with this Adam guy. We just met. It's not too serious yet. I hired Lil a babysitter and it's all good.'"

"Okay?" The brunette smiled, playing with Maleficent's fingers.

"And this morning, he asked me to hand him his wallet before he left, so I picked it up and his I.D. fell out."

Regina gasped in sudden realization. "His name is Adam?"

Mal nodded with a wide grin on her face. "It is."

"So that's the secret he's been keeping from us." Regina giggled.

"Yup!" Mal said. "Belle has been going out with Mr. Gold."

"Mr. Adam Gold." Regina said. "Wow. I don't know why we didn't notice the other night."

"Well, they're both professionals, so they're pretty good at hiding feelings from other people. I've known Belle for years and she's always been pretty good at keeping a secret."

Regina laughed. "Unlike Mary Margaret who introduces David as her boyfriend already."

"Ugh! I wish I was there to see the look on George's face." They both laughed.

"Oh, he was not happy at all. But he was proud to have a second son, hoping that James wouldn't date a shop clerk."

"Which, we both know he will not." Maleficent added. causing Regina to chuckle. The blonde hugged Regina even tighter in her arms as she slightly rocked the smaller woman back and forth before kissing her on the cheek.

The twenty year old turned her head to smile at Mal behind her and she kissed her on the lips before turning her head back and closing her eyes, feeling every beat of Mal's heart against her own back. She loved being in Mal's arms and she loved the feeling of their naked bodies together as if they were one. Regina let out a soft hum before she opened her eyes again. "I'm so thankful to Zelena."

"Mmmm...Same." Mal pressed her cheek against Regina's in front of her.

"This never would've happened if it wasn't for her."

"I know."

"Hopefully we can do the same for her some day."

"I'm sure we will." Maleficent moved Regina off her lap and held her shoulders as if she were telling her to turn around and face her, so she did, kneeling on the bed, and they looked into each other's eyes. "Are you happy?" Mal asked honestly.

Regina hummed once again. "Only if you are." The blonde smiled and Regina didn't need to hear any words. "Then absolutely." She leaned in closer to Mal and they touched their noses together before gently grazing each other's lips.

The soft kiss grew more intense, causing Mal to get up on her knees as well. They held each other tightly, rubbing each other's backs as their chests were pressed against one another. Once they took a break from kissing, they rested their foreheads together and Mal was the first one to open her eyes, lovingly smiling at the young girl. "Do you really think this is going to work?" She wondered.

"I do. Like, Lena said...no one will be able to do anything to tear us apart now." Maleficent let out a sigh of relief, feeling all of her hope growing inside and she began to feel that little spark of light inside of her again. The light she felt years ago when she felt closer and closer to her dreams of being an actress becoming a reality. Regina was the only one that could bring that light back into her and now that it was there, she knew it would never fade away again.

"Come on." Mal wrapped one of the sheets around herself and she stood up from the bed.

"What? Where are we going?" Regina wondered when Mal grabbed her hand and led her off the bed.

"Here." The blonde put Regina in front of her, wrapping the sheet around her as well.

The brunette giggled. "Where are we going?"

"Just, come on." Mal put one foot forward. "Walk."

"Okay." Regina laughed and began to walk out of the bedroom.

"Alright, now turn." Mal directed her to the dining room. "And, open."

"Maleficent. What are we doing?" Regina grew nervous for her when she noticed where they were headed.

"It's okay." Mal smiled down at her.

Regina looked up at her over her shoulder and she listened to her and kept walking. They were out on the balcony and Regina squeezed Mal's hand that was wrapped around her own chest. "Maleficent? What are we doing out here?"

"It's alright. I'm not scared anymore."

"But-"

"You're here with me. That's all I need. Knowing that I have you and Lily...There's nothing to be scared of anymore except for losing you." She reached up and wiped away one of Regina's tears as she now cried tears of joy.

"Maleficent." Regina turned around to face her and giggled, feeling pathetic for crying. "I thought you were always the one to tell me not to be such a sap."

Mal laughed. "Well, I guess I'm just as bad as you are."

The young girl let out a loud breath and hugged Maleficent tighter than she's ever hugged anyone before. "I've never been more proud of you than I am right now."

"Nor have I been more proud of you." Mal confessed and they kissed one more time before Regina turned back around and they looked out at the beautiful view of the city, holding each other wrapped up in the ivory sheet that held them even closer than before.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It was a little shorter than the others, but I liked where it ended. I think it's so funny that we still don't know Mr. Gold's first name, but a part of me decided to name him Adam after the actual prince in Beauty and the Beast. Thanks for reading! Please leave some reviews. I love you all! 3**


	27. Chapter 27

Chap 27

Maleficent stood at the stove in the kitchen of the top floor penthouse while Regina set up the table in the dining room for the two of them to have a nice lunch together. Regina walked into the kitchen and hugged Mal from behind giving her a kiss on the cheek and returning to grabbing the silverware. "Hey, babe. Come try this." Mal lifted the wooden spoon she had brought from her apartment with a little bit of her clam chowder on it. Regina walked in and the blonde put the spoon in her mouth. "How is it? Does it need more salt?"

"Mmm...It's perfect." The young girl licked her lips.

"You're sure?" Mal was a perfectionist when it came to her cooking. She once got into an argument with Belle about how anal she was about her food. Belle telling her that her food is always delicious and she can stop worrying so much because she's hungry and she just wants to eat and Mal telling her that she needs the right taste before she just gives away a bad meal.

"Yes, hon! I'm positive." Regina ensured her and she went back into the dining room to finish setting their placements.

"Regina!" Mal and the young girl's eyes both widened and they looked at each other with butterflies when they heard all the ruckus coming from outside the hotel room door. "Regina! Open up! We know you're in there!"

"Mum! Stop!"

"Cora, please!"

"No! I've had enough of this! Regina, open the door!"

Mal turned off the stove and the two women nervously walked closer to the door, but hesitated to open it. "Mrs. Mills, please stay calm."

"Don't tell me to stay calm, Gold!" They heard her yelling through the door. "Regina, open this door or I'll find a way to open it myself."

Her heart pounding, Regina slowly unlocked the door and turned the handle, her mother bursting in as soon as possible. She was followed by Henry, Zelena, and Mr. Gold.

"Mother, what's going on?" Regina gulped.

Cora chuckled. "You don't really think I'm dumb enough to not know about all this, do you?"

"Know about what?"

"Oh please, Regina. You've been running around with a prostitute. It was only a matter of time before she convinced you to sleep with her."

"No, Mother. It's not like that at all." The young brunette snapped.

"Oh, really?"

"No. I was the one who-"

"Oh? You were the one? Okay. That makes more sense. Please don't tell me this is about Emma." Cora said ridiculously.

"Mum, please." Zelena tried to calm her.

"No. I've had enough of this nonsense. I let it go on far too long."

"What?" Both Regina and Zelena said at the same time.

"You knew?" Regina wondered.

"I had a feeling. Then it was confirmed the other night…"

"The other night?" Her youngest daughter replied.

"Yes, the other night. You know, Zelena's not the only one in this family who's pretty good at eavesdropping."

"You were listening to us?" Regina was appalled.

"Not at first I wasn't. I had gone to ask you where you got that new red dress from, but then I heard that you were talking about me and I stopped to hear a bit more...until I heard too much and realized that my suspicions about you and the hooker were right. At first I thought I'd just let you have your fun, but I'm sick of you missing important events just to hang around this whore."

"Mother, don't call her that!"

"Mrs. Mills, I understand your feelings about all this, but-"

"And you!" Cora interrupted Maleficent. "You just don't know how to control yourself, do you?"

"Excuse me?" Mal retracted in disbelief.

"You were here for Mr. Gold, but you just weren't happy enough getting into his pants, you just had to get into my daughter's as well. And now you're going to take her from me?" Cora held up the plane tickets she'd found in Zelena's stuff. "You think that running away to New York City is going to help you?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mills, but she came to me. She was the one who ached for something better and SHE was the one to introduce ME to all this. Before her, I had no idea that I could-"

"Ugh! I can't hear another word." She said, disgusted.

"Well, you're going to." Zelena said. "There's nothing you can do, okay?"

"Of course there is." She took Regina by the hand and pulled her toward herself to get her away from Mal. "I'm going to make sure you never see her again." She said to Regina, glaring at the blonde. "I'll call the police if I have to."

"I'm afraid that won't work." Mr. Gold added.

Cora laughed. "And why not?"

"Because these two are tied together…"

"I'm sorry, what?" Cora unintentionally let go of Regina's hand and the young girl stepped back to Maleficent.

"...til death do they part." Gold added.

"What?" Henry asked, looking at his daughter.

"No." Cora said. "That's ridiculous."

"Since when?" Henry wondered.

"Three days ago." Zelena answered, stepping next to her little sister and her new sister-in-law.

"She's my wife." Regina said, smiling at Mal and holding her hand.

Cora looked down at their hands, noticing the rings on each of their ring fingers and her eyes grew wide.

%&%&%&%&%&%&

 _*Three Days Ago*_

" _You really think that'll work?" Maleficent asked Zelena on the sofa in the top floor penthouse._

" _It has to. You'll be married. Unless you get divorced, no one can split you apart legally." She watched Mal think about it. "But you get to decide. I mean, I know it's too soon, you've only been together for a couple days, but it'll stop anyone, including my mother, from stopping you from being together."_

" _But it's really short notice, don't you think? I mean for even finding a priest that'll do it and everything?"_

" _I have a friend who works at a chapel that'll marry anyone who has a marriage license."_

" _Oh okay." Mal laughed. "One thing...we don't have a marriage license."_

" _I know. That's why I've planned a whole day where we go out and get one. It's quite simple, really. I have one of my own."_

" _You do?"_

" _Yeah. Victor and I were engaged before I came out here. We had everything set up, just not quite the 'I do' parts."_

" _He's the father of the baby?" Maleficent assumed._

" _Yes, unfortunately." Lena said. "So what do you think?"_

" _Well, I don't have a ring or any money to buy one-"_

" _I can buy it." Zelena answered excitedly._

" _No. I can't accept tha-"_

" _I insist!"_

 _Mal thought for a moment. "No wedding dresses."_

" _Hmmm…I'll handle those." The redhead thought of the hotel shop and how nice their dresses are._

" _What about guests? A marriage isn't legal unless there are two witnesses there, right?"_

" _Well, you've got me...and what about Mr. Gold?" Zelena suggested. "I mean, he also knows...and I'm sure we can get some of the employees here to go. They're all quite fond of my little sister."_

" _I guess. We should see if any of her friends from that hair and spa will come." Lena nodded and Mal thought. "Also, I should tell Belle. She's been my best friend for years, I can't just get married and not tell her...or even invite her."_

" _She can be your maid of honor." The redhead added. "And Lily should be the flower girl. What about the ring-bearer?"_

" _That should be you." Mal smiled. "You can be Regina's maid of honor, but you should also carry the rings. Especially since you're the one paying for them." The blonde felt a bit ashamed of that part. "I'll pay you back once I get the money."_

" _No. Don't even worry about it."_

 _It was silent for a minute and they both just sat there. "Sooo…" Mal began. "I'm getting married today?"_

" _You're getting married today!" Zelena answered excitedly, hugging her._

" _Oh, wait!" The blonde pulled out of the hug. "What about the proposal?"_

" _Ooo, I have a good idea!" The oldest Mills daughter hesitated. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited! But you go ahead and think of how you want to do it."_

" _Well, I'm sure I have an idea of what I'll say, but I don't have a clue on how or where to do it." She saw that Regina's sister was about to burst. "What's your idea?" She asked almost laughing._

" _Okay!" Zelena began. "I'm pretty good friends with Jefferson."_

" _Gold's driver?"_

" _Yes. And I have a great idea on how to use him."_

 _Maleficent grew curious and excited to hear this, so she listened intently as Zelena told her the plan._


	28. Chapter 28

Chap 28

*Present*

"I can't believe this!" Cora stood with her hands on her hips, staring at the other five in the room. "And you two knew about this?" She said to Zelena and Gold. "When were you planning on telling me? Henry, did you know all this time, too?"

"No, Daddy didn't know anything." Zelena answered as her father shook his head. "Please Mummy, don't blame anyone. This was all my idea."

"YOUR idea? Seriously? Was this all some sort of joke to you because you left Victor?"

"Mother, I left Victor because he was sleeping around with someone else. This has absolutely nothing to do with that and everything to do with the love these two share. Or do you not even care about Regina's happiness?"

"Not if it involves THIS. Why not a man? Why can't you just be happy with David?"

"Because David loves someone else." Regina stated. "And you know what, I was happy with a man…..Daniel. But he ALSO wasn't good enough in your eyes. So, I've decided that making you happy is impossible. And it's not just Lena and I...It's Daddy too."

"Yeah, I know. I heard that part of your conversation in the bedroom." Cora rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else.

It was silent between the five of them for a bit until Henry walked over to his youngest and held her shoulder. "Regina, Darling. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me, Daddy." She confessed.

"I could never be disappointed in you finding your happiness."

"Henry!"

"Cora, no! I'm talking to my daughter!" He reprimanded, shocking everyone in the room as he usually said nothing. He smiled at Regina and teared up a bit. "Whatever made you think that I'd be disappointed?"

"I don't know." She put her free hand on her father's on her own shoulder.

"All I wanted was to walk you down the aisle one day, baby girl."

Regina looked down sadly. "I'm sorry...but you'll still get to walk someone down the aisle." She smiled at Zelena who smiled at Henry and he put his other hand around Lena's waist.

"Oh my god! This is just too much! I can't believe you didn't tell me." Cora jumped back in, shouting at Gold.

"I'm not obligated to tell you anything." He snapped and he turned with his walking stick to leave. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a previous engagement to attend to." He smiled at Maleficent and left the five of them to continue their discussion as he went off to go on an ice cream date with Belle along with Lily.

"So, tell me how it happened." Henry wondered.

"I can't hear this." Cora started for the door, but Zelena stepped in front of it. "Please, Mum. Just listen."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, Cora! You will!" Henry responded. "I love you, Cora. I do, but I have had enough of your constant nagging at our daughters and I won't stand anymore of it. I should've ended all this the second you sent Zelena to boarding school. Now, you will sit down and listen or our marriage is over."

With that, Cora had nothing else to say and she watched as the other four walked into the family room and sat down on the sofas, listening to the story. Cora just stood and tried her best to ignore it, but unfortunately, she heard it all.

%&%&%&%&%&%&

 _*Three Days Ago*_

 _Regina spent most of the day in her parents' hotel room, wondering where her sister and her girlfriend were. She had gone upstairs to knock on Mal's door hours ago, and there was no answer. She had waited for a call from either of them while she sat, reading one of the few law books she had brought with her. She hated law school and her grades weren't perfect, but she always pushed herself to do her best no matter what she did. Even if her heart wasn't in it._

 _Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and she got up to answer it. There was no one out there that she could see. She looked around and saw nothing...until she looked down and saw a small scrap of paper at her feet. She read it and it said, 'Go upstairs.' So she did._

" _Maleficent?" Regina knocked on the hotel room door, when there was no answer she knocked again. She leaned against the wall after awhile. She brought her hands up to her face before looking down at the floor, noticing the another slip of paper that at some point was pushed under the door. She bent down to pick it up and then knocked on the door again. "I know you're in there." She shouted, but with no response. This caused her to giggle. "Fine." She read the note and hesitantly obeyed its orders._

 _She got in the elevator and went down to the lobby the way the note had told her to. Once she reached the bottom and the golden doors slid open, she hesitated to get off as she was expecting someone to jump out at her. When nothing happened, she stepped out and as she turned the corner, there was a piece of paper taped to the wall. She rolled her eyes with a smile and she ripped it off. She opened it and it made her smile grow even wider as it read, 'The first time I saw you. You were so cute and innocent looking, I'll never forget the look on your face when you saw a prostitute in a place like this. Go see Mary Margaret.' Regina sighed and hated how corny this was, but she loved it and walked to the hotel shop._

 _When she reached her destination, Mary Margaret was nowhere to be found. She reached the front desk at the store and there was a box on the counter with a neatly folded paper on top of it. She picked it up to read it. 'The first time we spoke, I was buying a dress for myself. Now, I've bought one for you. Bring it with you and take a trip to the first time we argued. If you think of silver, you'll know what I'm talking about.'_

 _Regina took a moment to realize that she meant the silver dress she was wearing that night. She went to the bathroom in the hotel restaurant where they argues about her being a Mama's girl. She reached the bathroom door and the note on it told her to wash her hands when she went inside._

" _Okay, now this is just getting weird." Regina said before shrugging her shoulders and going in. She expected to see something in any of the sinks when she went in, but there was nothing. She sighed and didn't understand the point of this, so she just did what the note said and washed her hands._

 _When she finished, she reached for a paper towel. The second she took the first one, the one underneath it said, 'Hey, beautiful. Put on your new dress.'_

 _Regina sighed and really felt too lazy to change, but she wondered where this was going, so she threw away both paper towels and went into the closest stall to change into the long-sleeved white dress with a hint of lace near the collar bone and shoulder area. She walked out and looked in the mirror, fascniated that it was a perfect fit. She looked around for a third note in here, but there was nothing. She sighed, realizing that she was just supposed to know where to go next._

 _She walked out into the restaurant, kind of glad it was before dinner time so it was empty. She went to the table that her mother and father had their meeting with Mr. Gold at that same night and there was another box with a note on it. 'If you're reading this, you're starting to get the pattern. Well, this was the first place we ever ate a meal together and fortunately for me, this was the first time I met your parents. So, I never had to do that whole awkward meeting with the in-laws thing. Look in the box and put them on if you choose to. Now go to the place where we had our first kiss.'_

 _Regina looked at the box and wasn't sure if she wanted to open it, but she did anyway and she almost fell when she saw the heels inside. They looked exactly like the ones she had stolen from the store that night with Emma. She sat in the chair, debating on whether or not she should put them on. She took a deep breath and thought of all of the memories of her and Emma. She let a tear or two roll down her cheeks as she made her decision. She knew that the best thing for her was to try and forget about Emma. She wiped away her tears, putting on a smile as well as her new shoes and she was grateful for them. Especially knowing that these ones weren't stolen. She giggled to herself and headed for the top floor of the hotel once again._


	29. Chapter 29

Chap 29

*Present*

"I was beginning to think that all these places I was being sent to were just filled with lots of gifts." Regina admitted. "But I was so relieved to find out that they weren't all presents." She smiled at Mal sitting on the sofa next to her and Maleficent sent her a loving grin in return. "I was hoping that she didn't think she had to buy my love. I was so glad when I got to the next place and I didn't find an expensive gift there, otherwise I was going to stop following the notes."

&%&%&%&%&%&%&

 _*Three Days Ago*_

 _Regina reached the top floor penthouse once again and she took the note attached to the door. 'Go on in, there's a stopper in the door. When you go in, check all the places you remember. XOXO.' She lazily pushed the door open and looked down at what held the door open for her. She bent over to pick it up and she noticed the note on the bottom. 'This was one of the heels I threw at the door during our first fight. I'm glad you came back.'_

 _Even though everything else she'd received during this little scavenger hunt had annoyed her a bit, this note made her smile the most and she giggled, putting the shoe down on the coffee table in the family room when she entered it. The second she set the shoe down she saw something on the glass table. She picked it up, seeing that it was the picture of Lily and Maleficent faced down. On the back the picture read, 'I love how great you already are with Lilith and you've only met twice.'_

 _Finally, the notes were beginning to make her smile more and she moved into the dining room, picking up the note on the table. 'I still remember how I felt the first time we kissed. But I will never forget the first time we'_

 _It stopped right there and the twenty year old flipped the note over, looking to see if Mal had finished what she was saying on the back, but it was blank, causing an embarrassed look on her face as she knew what the blonde meant by it anyway. She left the note on the table and walked over to the spot on the floor where they first made love. The tiny piece of paper on the floor said nothing, but there was a heart on it. She picked it up and held it to her own heart before curiously walking into the bedroom._

 _On the bed lay a bouquet of flowers and a small note on the ribbon that held them together. 'I heard you liked lilies. Ironic, huh? Please take these with you on the rest of your journey.'_

" _The rest of my journey?" She looked up seeing a second note on one of the pillows. She was starting to miss the sound of Mal's voice, but seeing her handwriting sort of made up for it. 'Just so you know...You're the best sex I've ever had.' She blushed but felt a bit of confidence. 'Even though I was a nervous wreck. I've never told you why. I didn't want to disappoint you somehow as well as you were the first woman I've ever touched. Also, you're so young and I was frightened to know how I'd feel about loving someone your age. But, there's something for you in the bathroom.' Regina walked into the bedroom bathroom and hanging on the shower was her nightie from last night...but it was dry and had a note attached to it. She took it off and read, 'This is for later.' Mal had also drawn a face with a wink at the end of the message._

 _She smirked and went out into the family room, walking over to the door to leave. On the inside of the door there was a sign that said to go downstairs. '...And don't forget your flowers.'_

 _She smiled at the bouquet in hand and she headed for the lobby once again. As the elevator doors opened, she found Jefferson standing there, waiting for her. "Hello, Regina." He smiled at her._

" _Jefferson, is it?" He offered his elbow out to her._

" _May I escort you to your ride?"_

" _My ride?" She wondered. Upon seeing his nod, she took his arm gladly with her right hand, the bouquet of flowers in the other. "Where are we headed?" She asked as he held the limousine door open for her._

" _I'm not allowed to tell you." She raised an eyebrow at him and he added, "But I am allowed to offer you some champagne." He closed the door and she was confused._

" _Champagne? I'm not old enough to drink yet. Why would-" She opened the little cooler in the back of Gold's limo and she found yet another note in there. "Ah." Now it made sense to her._

 _The note, however, made her click her tongue as it stated, 'Don't even think about it, babe. I know you would've taken a sip (or a couple) during your rebellious days in college, but not now. Leave the alcohol in the fridge and leave the bouquet in the car when you arrive at your next stop. Meanwhile, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Love you.'_

" _Ha! 'Love you.'" Regina scoffed as she couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "Mal, when are you going to be at one of these stops so I can slap you?" She asked herself jokingly. She sighed, setting the note in her lap and taking her advice of just sitting back and enjoying the ride._

 _The next one? A familiar place, more to her than to Maleficent. Jefferson helped her out of the car and she was extremely curious as to see what could possibly be here. She walked in, delighted to see that the place was empty. Well, almost._

" _Milady." Killian bowed to her as if she were a queen when she entered All Hands On Neck:Hair and Spa. She took his hand when he offered it to her and he kissed the back of hers as she looked around for a sign or a note. There was nothing. "If you will." The dark haired man led her to his chair and she sat down, expecting to catch a message on his mirror or on his counter, but nothing._

" _What are you doing?" She asked when he began to take her ponytail out._

" _You'll see." He grinned at her reflection and he continued to give her a new hairstyle, a nice small braid half up, half down and the rest loosely curled with a cute accessory added to the top of the braid accentuated with a white and blue flower and some rhinestones. After he finished her hair he turned her chair around and did a simple layer of makeup. A very light shade of blush on her cheeks and a skin colored gloss along with skin colored eye shadow made with sparkles to give her brown eyes a bit of a pop._

 _Killian let her see her hair and makeup before helping her up out of the chair. He stood behind her and again she asked, "What are you doing?"_

" _Last year, Lilith gave me this necklace and now you may borrow it." He put the necklace on her and she realized that HE was the note. After he put it on, she picked it up off her chest and looked down at it. It was a small heart shaped locket and she opened it, revealing the two photos inside. One of Maleficent and one of Lilith. She closed it, turning around and hugging Killian._

" _I don't know what all of this is for...but thank you for participating in these shenanigans." She laughed and they stopped hugging. He nodded to her before bringing her to the door where Jefferson was waiting to help her back into the limousine to drive off once again._

" _Where are we going this time?" She yelled to Jefferson in the driver's seat. She couldn't see his face, but she could tell by the way his cheek bone and ear perked up that he was smiling and refusing to tell her anything. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled, looking out the window._

 _It was now starting to get dark and she noticed the small amount of street lights that flickered on as they drove down many familiar roads. Once she saw the people standing on the streets outside, she realized where they were headed and she got chills for some unknown reason. She was hoping Maleficent would be here and this would be her last stop, but a part of her knew better when she walked up the stairs to Mal's apartment._

" _Hello?" She knocked on the door. "Belle?" She called through and there was no answer. "Mal?" She shrugged her shoulders to herself and knocked again. "Am I just supposed to walk in? She asked, deciding to try and turn the doorknob. It opened and she half expected to see someone in there, at least Belle with Lily...but there was no one. She sighed and looked around. "This is getting ridiculous." She told herself, knowing that as much as she wanted to stop, she just wanted to see Mal, so she wouldn't._

 _After searching the whole of the apartment, she noticed that she hadn't checked the bathroom yet. She walked in and it was filled with steam as if someone had taken a shower. This made her realize that someone must've JUST been there if the steam was still engulfing the bathroom. This one was easy and she knew that there must be a note on the mirror written in the fog. She turned and saw the words, 'Your dress and shoes are new. You're getting closer and closer to the end...Only two.'_

" _Only two? Two more stops?" She wondered. "Finally!"_

 _She went back down to the car and told Jefferson to drive as fast as possible. It was almost pitch black outside when she reached their next destination. He helped her out and when she walked around the car, she was so excited to see another person. "Zelena! Finally! Was this all your idea?"_

 _The redhead smiled and said nothing as she took her little sister's hand and helped her through the grass in her heels. Regina looked around the field, wondering who else knew about all this and Zelena brought her to the back of the concession stand, reading a note in her hand. "'This was where I first met your sister and she first accepted us together. You should be grateful to her as I am,'" Zelena stopped as she got a bit choked up, "'...she's the reason tonight is possible.'" The older Mills daughter tried her best to stop any tears from falling before she handed Regina a small box._

" _Not another present." Regina said as she took it and began to open it._

" _This one's from me." Zelena said._

 _The younger of the two opened it and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. "My charm bracelet! I thought I lost this."_

" _No. I did. Remember my sixth grade dinner dance? With Philip, when you were like 8 or 9?" Regina nodded. "I wore it to the dance and I took it off because it was bothering me. I couldn't find it after that and I felt so guilty that I never told you."_

" _Well, where did you find it?" Regina wondered as she put it on._

" _I found it in my jacket pocket a couple weeks later, but it was too late to give it back to you because I didn't find it until I was in London."_

" _For boarding school." Regina finished and Zelena nodded._

" _There, so now you have something old and maybe you'll forgive me?"_

 _Regina sighed and hugged her sister. "Of course I can forgive you." When she pulled out of the hug she added, "I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you for tonight, but-"_

" _You will." Zelena giggled and she handed her the yellow manila envelope she had in hand._

 _On the front it read, 'Don't open until I say so. You're almost there.' Her big sister took her forearm and walked her back to the limo, getting in with her._

" _Lena, when are you going to tell me what's going on here?" Regina was too anxious to wait til the next stop, but Zelena refused to tell her. "Where are we headed next? Back to the hotel? I can't think of anywhere else I've been with Mal."_

" _You've never been to this next stop." Zelena admitted._

" _Oh." The brunette said with a questionable look on her face. "But is it really the last one?" She seemed desperate for the answer to be yes._

" _That's for you and Maleficent to decide."_

 _Regina looked at her sister suspiciously and the car came to a halt._


	30. Chapter 30

Chap 30

*Present*

Cora had finally sat down in one of the chairs further away from the other four and she still seemed uninterested, rolling her eyes as the story went on.

 _% &%&%&%&%_

 _*Three Days Ago*_

 _Regina looked out the window and when she saw Jefferson about to open the door, she was ecstatic to get out. "Wait! Don't forget your flowers and bring the envelope with you." Zelena said. Regina grabbed both and got out._

 _Zelena got out behind her and the brunette looked around. "Where are we?" She looked at the building in front of them and read the sign. "Campbell's Nursing Home? Zelena, what are we doing here?" The redhead cleared her throat and tapped her on the shoulder, pointing across the street behind her. "A church?" The youngest gave her sister a strange look._

" _Just, come on." Zelena grabbed her hand and walked her across the street. Once they reached the side walk, Zelena told her to wait. "It's not exactly a church, but a chapel."_

" _And?"_

" _And there's some people inside waiting for us." Regina turned around to see Maleficent in a simple, spaghetti strap white dress that went down to her ankles. Her hair was down and pinned to the side with a rhinestoned blue hair piece._

" _Mal, what is going on? All this," she gestured toward the dress and the limo. "I-" She took a moment to really look at Maleficent. "Wow. You look-"_

" _You too." Mal's eyes widened. She hadn't actually known what dress was bought nor what hairstyle Killian was going to do. She knew about the simplicity of the makeup, however, as she told Zelena that she thought Regina was so gorgeous she didn't need makeup._

" _Why all of this? And why did you wait so long before you showed up?"_

" _Well, it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." Zelena whispered in her sister's ear._

 _The blonde smiled. "Open the envelope."_

 _Regina opened it with a pounding in her heart and she read the top. "What?" Her eyes grew wider than before, seeing that it was their marriage license and she looked up to see Mal on one knee in front of her. "Maleficent, what are you doing?" The blonde took the young girl's hand. "You're gonna ruin that white dress." Regina was freaking out and she had no clue why._

" _I don't care. The one proposing is supposed to get down on one knee so I'm going to get down on one knee."_

" _Maleficent," Tears ran down Regina's cheeks and she lost her breath, almost as if the wind was knocked right out of her. "Please don't." She thought for a second as she looked all around her and suddenly realized, "Something old...the bracelet. Something new...the dress and shoes. Something borrowed...your locket and something blue...my hair piece." She looked into Mal's loving eyes and shook her head no._

" _Regina," Mal began. "I've never done anything like this before so, bear with me."_

" _Oh gosh!" The brunette cried._

" _I've never been with a woman before you. We've only known each other for about a week and we've only been together for a couple days. But I want to be together for as long as possible and if the only way for that to happen is to make you my wife, then so be it. I know that I'll be the happiest person in the world to have you as my own and I know I hate all the sappy love stuff, but for you, I don't care. I'll give you chocolates every Valentine's Day, I'll use corny love lines in bed, and I'll chase any bus or train you get on yelling out my love for you if it means you'll understand that I would die for you. If you marry me, I would not only be grateful, but I would know that no one can take you from me. It's your decision and I know it's so soon, but if you'd like to be with me even just for a little while longer-"_

" _Mal, I-" Regina shook her head. "You don't wanna marry me. I have so many flaws you haven't even seen yet-"_

" _And so do I. But I don't care, we can get through it."_

" _But, my mother…"_

" _There's nothing she can do if we're married." The blonde stood and Zelena handed her a ring box. She opened it, revealing the simple, but elegant ring inside. Regina didn't know what to say, but she thought of something and laughed. "What?" Mal asked._

" _Ever since we got together, I thought that I was gonna be the one to propose."_

 _Mal laughed as well. "Is that a yes?"_

 _The younger one of the two let out a breath of air and shook her head laughing. "It-" She took a deep breath and nodded. "It's a yes."_

 _Maleficent was actually a bit surprised and she smiled as she put the ring on Regina's finger and they hugged before going inside to get married._

%&%&%&%&%&%

*Present*

"Who led the ceremony?" Henry asked joyfully.

"Dr. Archie Hopper, Zelena knew him. He's a psychologist but he's also an ordained minister." Regina smiled, holding Maleficent's hand in her own.

"I still wish I could've walked you down the aisle," her father began, "...but I'm so happy. I've never seen you like this." He smiled at his youngest. "Not since the day little Henry was born."

"What?" Maleficent looked to Regina in confusion. "I thought you miscarried?"

Regina sighed. "No, that day in the bathroom...I went into early labor. He almost died during child birth, but the doctors were able to save him."

"And where is he now?"

The brunette didn't want to answer and she shook her head. "He died a couple months later." Zelena said for her.

"He suffocated." Cora finally spoke, but refused to look at the group. "In his sleep. Regina wasn't ready to be a mother. I kept telling everyone that, but they didn't listen to me." She turned to look at Maleficent. "You think she'd be good around your daughter? She didn't even know that infants can't have too many stuffed animals in their crib. So, Henry died because of her immaturity."

"Mum. That was years ago. As much as you won't believe it, Reggi has grown up since then." Zelena defended her.

"And she's wonderful with Lily." Mal added. She squeezed her wife's hand harder. "I'm so sorry to hear about Henry…" She looked at Cora. "But people make mistakes."

"And you were only 17." Her father said.

"But it was still my fault." She said sadly.

"If people got divorced or broke up because of their mistakes, there would be no married couples in this world." Maleficent said as she saw the fearful look in Regina's eyes. "It's okay. I can teach you things like you've taught me. And I can heal you the way you've healed me." She reached up and wiped away one of the brunette's tears. "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me and marrying you was even better. I'll admit, the first time we kissed, I thought my life was over because all of the things I'd heard about people like us not being accepted and marrying people they don't love living unhappy lives. But now I know that my life has just begun and I can't wait to live happily ever after."

"Ha!" Cora chuckled. "Happily ever after doesn't exist."

"Yes, it does." Mal protested. "What doesn't exist is living PERFECTLY ever after. There may be fights and there may be dirty looks and snide comments from people who don't approve, but with Regina fighting by my side, I know I'll still be happy." She smiled at the brunette, their noses touching. "And not everyone can say they've felt the same way." She looked back to Cora. "We both may be women, but we both know how to bring each other peace and life that no one else has ever given us."

"You've only known each other for a few days."

"Yes, and see how much closer time will bring us together. The longer we stay together, the more familiar we'll be and the more we'll love each other...if that's even possible." She gave Regina a small peck kiss and put an arm around her. "I may be a prostitute, but your daughter has given me the strength and courage to stop. I may not have the money right now, but I got in touch with a casting director out in New York and soon I could have the job I've always dreamed of and I'll be able to provide for Lily and Regina the best that I can. I wouldn't have even had the bravery of doing that before I met your daughter. I have gone back to following my dreams. She makes me a better me."

"And she's done the same for me." Regina began. "I applied to F.I.T. in New York and in a couple weeks I'll have an interview with them. I could be accepted into my dream college and I could be pursuing a job in fashion in a couple years. We may not be totally successful when we get there, but we're just starting and we'll at least be happy with each other and both doing what we love. That's what life is about, Mother. It's not about having the most money or pleasing other people. It's about doing what we love with whom we love and while we're still alive. If you're not happy and you're around people who can't make you happy, then you're not alive. And that's how I've felt for twenty years, Mama. I've felt dead. And Maleficent brought me to life. Haven't you ever felt that way?"

Cora now had tears running down her face and she looked at Henry and then Zelena and back to Regina. She didn't want to admit it, but she was letting her heart open up again and she cracked the tiniest smile through her tears as she slightly nodded. "Yes. The three of you have given me life."

Regina stood up and walked over to her chair, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands. "Don't you want Zelena and I to have that, too?" Her mother took a deep breath and squeezed her hand in her lap.

Mrs. Mills sniffled. "I do."

"Then be happy for us. Even when times get rough take pride in the thought that we have people who love us. And you can be one of them."

Zelena stood and walked over to the both of them, putting an arm around her mother. "You are one of them." The redhead admitted. "And there's something I should tell you." Cora looked up to her. "I'm having a baby. I know, I know. Being a single mother is not always a good thing, but this baby will love me and so will you….because you're my mum. I need you to help me through this and I love you too."

"We all do." Henry now joined them and Regina and Zelena moved away so he could reach down and grab his wife's hands to help her stand up. They gave each other a slight kiss and Maleficent stood, walking over to Regina to hug her from behind, kissing her on the cheek. The Mills sisters smiled at each other, proud that they brought their family together.

"Maleficent, is it?" Cora never really paid attention to her name until now. When the blonde shook her head yes, Cora continued, "I'm sorry about everything. It'll take some getting used to, but I guess I'm happy that I get to have a daughter-in-law." She chuckled wiping away one of her tears. "I never thought I'd have one." They all laughed.

And they lived happily ever after...just not perfectly, of course.

* * *

 **A/N: Awwwww...It's over. Well, I know how totally corny this last chapter was. Haha! But please leave me some reviews. I'll take some requests as well, if you have any. Please comment on how I can improve. I love you all and thank you so much for reading this! This was definitely my favorite fanfic I've written so far. Please leave some suggestions! I can't wait to write some more! You can check out my other stories as well if you want! I've got a couple others still in progress as well. Thank you guys, really. MWAH!**


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